Not a Kid Anymore
by mattthefire
Summary: Takes place after Kenny and Clem leave Wellington because THAT'S THE CANON ENDING TO ME DAMMIT! This has a lot of smut and is Clenny (ClemXKenny) ship. My first ever FF so please let me know what you think. Heavily inspired by "Tainted Innocence" by SavL7.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Bubbles2k100- Thank you for the kind words! And you're right, I may have gone a little overboard with this haha. Guess I just wanted to get the point across. I'll be carful next time. Thanks for reading! New chapter coming soon enough.

SavL7- Thank you so much! Like I said, this story is completely inspired by you! I'm so glad you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned, another one will be coming very soon! Thank you again for your input!

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><p>Clementine sat on the soft couch. She hadn't felt this comfortable in a while. They had been walking for days, ever since they found Wellington. Now, she and Kenny were in a small cabin they had found. It was cozy, but most importantly, it was warm.<p>

With the supplies they got from Wellington, they had enough food and water for over a month. They both felt much better now that they weren't starving, and Clementine's arm was healing well thanks to the first aid kits that were in the bags.

As Kenny kneeled and picked at the fireplace, trying to keep the fire burning as long as possible, Clem held AJ in her hands. He never seemed to cry when she was with him. It made her happy to know that he trusted her to take care of him. Just like she had trusted Lee to take care of her.

The thought of Lee made her feel weak. Even after two years, thinking about Lee gave her a lump in her throat. She tried to push back the tears as Kenny stood up to face her.

"That fire's gonna keep us nice and toasty for a good long while. How's AJ?"

"I think he might be hungry" Clem responded, looking down at the young boy she was holding.

"I'll feed him, Clem. You try and rest." He said as he sat down on the couch beside her. He gently took AJ out of her arms and started to feed him with the bottle. Clementine stared at the fireplace in front of them, watching the wood slowly burn. She liked the crackling sound it made. It was relaxing. She watched closely as the sparks slowly flew up in the air. It started to hurt her eyes a little, but she kept staring at it, thinking no thoughts. It was almost hypnotising.

Her trance was broken when she heard Kenny's soft, deep voice.

"Who the hell would'a figured this is where we'd end up?"

Clem looked at him, trying to understand exactly what he was saying. "What do you mean?"

"Just-" He paused, looking at Clem briefly before staring at the fire, trying to keep his emotions hidden.

"Back when we were at that motor inn." Hearing those words almost made Clementine wince. She immediately thought of all the people that she cared about back at the motel, and how they were all gone.

"The only thing I gave two shits about was keeping Kat and Duck safe. I cared about Lee and you, but the way I saw it, I took care of mine, and Lee would take care 'a you. Who would've thought that here, two years later, it'd just be me and you left."

Clementine held back a small sound that almost left her mouth. She couldn't cry. She had to be strong.

For Lee.

Kenny looked over at Clementine and noticed she had stopped looking at him. She was staring into space with misty eyes. Kenny immediately realized that he had made a mistake to mention Lee.

"Shit, I'm sorry, darlin'. I didn't mean to...fuck."

His words didn't exactly help her feel any better, but she knew that he didn't mean to make her sad. He promised that he would never hurt her.

"It's okay" She spoke, finally breaking the silence. "I'm just...tired."

"Right. Right. We both could use some shut eye." He slowly got up off the couch and sat on the big comfy chair that was next to it.

"Aren't you going to sleep on the couch with me?" Clem said, worried. She had no idea how long it's been since Kenny has had a good night's sleep, and she was going to get him to sleep tonight, whether he liked it or not.

"Now don't you worry 'bout me, sweetie. You can have the couch. I'm fine right here."

The chair _was _big and cozy, and it was the same material as the couch she was sitting on, but she didn't feel okay taking the couch for herself.

"Please, Kenny? Just for tonight?"

He looked at her for a moment, thinking to himself, before getting up and wrapping AJ in a new blanket.

"Alright, Clem. You win."

She smiled at him as he put AJ to sleep in his small box on the sofa chair. He walked back to the couch and smiled back at her.

"Nice to see you smiling." She said, moving over to give him a spot on the couch.

"Ain't much to smile about these days, but..you're right. We should appreciate times like these."

She slowly rested her head on his knees and put her feet across the other end of the couch. Kenny rested his head back against the soft material. Clementine was facing him, resting her head under her hands on his lap. She shot him the smallest of smiles before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

She woke up when she felt him moving. She lifted her head from his lap and stared at him, a bit grumpy that he had woke her up with his fumbling.

He was in the middle of taking a huge sip of wine from a bottle. She had no idea where he found it, but she didn't really care at the moment.

"Shit" He said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Sorry, darlin'. Didn't mean to wake ya."

"What are you doing?" Clem asked. She knew exactly what he was doing, but for some reason it felt like the right thing to say.

"I know, I know. I don't need to hear it. I shouldn't be drinking."

She gave him a concerned stare, and he could feel her gaze on him. It hit him like a ton of bricks. She had this way of making him feel like the biggest piece of shit on the planet just by looking at him.

"Have you even slept yet?" She asked him.

He didn't answer, he just dropped the bottle to his side and stared at the floor.

"Get back to sleep, Clem."

"I'm awake now" She responded, sitting up next to him. "How much did you drink?" She asked him.

"Not enough." He answered. As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he knew he fucked up.

Before Clem could even answer, he put his hand in the air, signalling her to stop. "No, sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"Drinking yourself to death won't help anything." She said, ignoring him.

"I know, Clem. I know." He simply agreed with everything she said, but that was only because he was too drunk to even think of a way to argue with her.

"Can you please go to sleep now, Kenny? Please." He nodded at her slowly before tapping his lap. Clem lied back down on his legs and faced him. She stared at the small line of dried blood that was on his shirt. She thought about when Jane cut him with the knife. It made her sad to think about it, but made her happy that Kenny survived. As she started to fall asleep, she stared a little further down from his belly, and noticed something she hadn't seen before. She never saw it when he walked around. It looked like a sort of bump in his jeans. She stared at it, confused for a moment before taking a look at his face. His eye was closed and he was almost asleep. Without getting up, she lifted her left hand from under her head, and touched the bump in his jeans. It felt weird. It was hard, but not hard like a rock. She noticed Kenny start to fumble, and almost push her off the couch. She stood up quickly, sitting upright on and facing him.

"Clem, what the fuck are you?-" He stopped himself. She seemed afraid. He didn't want to scare her. Not again.

"What's in your pants?" She asked. She pulled herself together from the scare he had given her, and now she wanted to know what was going on.

"Clem-damn it." He stood up off the couch, pacing back and forth in front of her while rubbing his head. He finally stopped pacing and turned to face her.

"Clem, this isn't something you should be doing...It's adult stuff. You're just a kid, and..."

She cut him off mid-sentence. "I'm not a kid anymore, Kenny."

"I know, darling. I know you think you're an adult, and I've seen you take care of yourself better than a lot of grownups, but..this is different."

"What are you talking about? Kenny, just tell me. I'm not a little girl anymore." She started to become more and more frustrated.

She had a point. It was easy to forget that she was a kid sometimes. He remembered a lot of times when he did things in front of her he shouldn't have, just because he forgot how young she really was.

"No, Clem...I'm telling you right now, you make me do this, and you won't like it at all" He couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. Why was he even considering talking to her about this?

"I can handle it." She said, and gave him a determined look.

He walked toward the couch, closer to her. He looked her straight in the eye. He was about to open his mouth to speak, but Clementine didn't want to hear it. She had heard enough talking, and she was finding out what this was whether he liked it or not.

She grabbed the hard object again. This time, though, he didn't jump away from her in shock, he simply flinched roughly. She kept holding it, and Kenny somehow couldn't make himself move. He felt frozen. All his logical thoughts were gone now. When she realized he would finally stop protesting, she started rubbing her hand up and down along the bump. He started breathing heavily, and she noticed it. She used both hands to slowly try and take off his pants. She kept pulling them down, but they wouldn't come off. That's when she felt his hands grab hers. She looked up at him, and she couldn't read what he was feeling in his expression. He didn't seem angry or happy. He looked like he was serious about something. She thought he was going to take her hands off of him and make her go to sleep, leaving her to wonder forever, but instead, he started taking off his belt. Before she even realized what he was doing, his pants fell around his ankles. She stared in surprise at his boxers. She could see the object even more than before now, it looked bigger than it did in his pants. She reached out slowly, but Kenny stopped her.

She looked up at him, slightly annoyed. He spoke in a voice softer than she'd ever heard him speak in before; "You sure you're ready for this, darlin'?"

She gave him a determined expression. "Yes." A tiny smile stretched on his lips before he let go of her hand. She slowly reached out with her right hand and pulled down his boxers. She stared in disbelief as the thing she was holding just moments ago sprung into the air as she pulled his boxers down to his ankles. The thing was a lot bigger than it looked in his pants. She stared at it, not sure what to do, before looking up to Kenny. He was still looking at her.

"Don't be shy." He said. This was enough to give her the confidence to reach out and wrap her hand around it. As she did this, she heard Kenny make a weird noise. He didn't sound like he was in pain, but it made her a little scared. "Sorry!" She jumped, pulling her hand away.

"No, no...Clem, you're doing fine." She realized that he wasn't hurting when she touched it, but he was enjoying it. She grabbed it again with her right hand. She slowly moved her hand up and down, and she heard Kenny make quiet sounds under his heavy breaths. She started pumping faster and faster. It made her happy that she was doing this so well. She started to slow down, and took her hand off of him. Her arm was tired.

Kenny was impatient, though. He grabbed it himself and pointed downward, right into her face. He lined himself up with her mouth. She stared at the thing that was barely an inch away from her face. She was a little bit frozen, but managed to focus again. She looked back up at him, but this time he had a different look on his face. He didn't seem so gentle, he looked like he wanted something.

Before she could say anything, he spoke first.

"Suck it."  
>The words caught her off guard. "W-What?"<p>

"Suck it."  
>He repeated the words so similarly to how he did just a second ago, she could have sworn she had gone back in time by a few seconds.<p>

Then she thought of the words. "Suck it" She repeated out loud, quietly, focusing her eyes on the thing he was holding in front of her. She couldn't stop staring at it.

"Just like a lollipop. And watch the teeth."

He let go of it, causing it to spring back up. This made her uncomfortable, she grabbed it and pointed it at her mouth herself. She held it at the very base with her right hand, between her thumb and index finger. She put her other hand on his thigh.

Kenny chuckled quietly. She looked up at him, wanting to tell him not to laugh at her, but she got distracted when she realized how tall he looked from down here. She simply looked back down at what she was holding.

She hesitantly opened her mouth.

She slowly moved her head forward, and wrapped her lips around the tip of it. She heard him gasp and felt him stiffen. She relaxed her mouth around him, and started doing like he said, sucking. He grabbed her head gently and started rocking her back and forth, all while she kept sucking on him.

Was this, kissing stuff? She asked herself.

Kenny let go of her head and she kept moving by herself. After a few moments, she pushed him deeper into her mouth, and deeper, and deeper. It was as far as it could go, and she felt disappointed, She barely had half of it in her mouth.. She kept sucking and moving back and forth. She heard Kenny moan and breath heavily, and it made her happy. She was happy that she could make him feel this way after all he'd done for her. She started sucking faster, and moving her head back and forth faster and faster. She started swirling her tongue around it while it was in her mouth. She was doing so much at once that she felt like she couldn't keep up with what she was doing. Kenny kept moaning at the amazing feeling she was giving him. He didn't expect her to be this much of a natural. She felt her own spit start dripping down her chin, but she didn't care. She kept going. She also didn't realize she had been making so much noise until now. She heard the sloshing of her the thing in her mouth mixed with all the sucking and the small squeaks she would let out accidently every now and again. She took her hand and put in on the rest that she couldn't fit in her mouth. She started pumping it just like she did before, all while sucking and bobbing her head. She didn't realize how much she was enjoying it herself, but she could definitely feel how much Kenny was enjoying it. She didn't know how long she was doing this for, but it only felt like maybe 30 seconds. In reality, it was a few minutes. He grabbed the back of her head unexpectedly, and muttered something she didn't understand.  
>"Ugh-Clem-I'm-cu-"<p>

She looked up at him with a cocked eyebrow in confusion, hoping the face she made would make him get that she didn't understand what he said, but she didn't stop what she was doing either. He wasn't even looking at her, anyway. She looked back at what she was sucking on, and closed her eyes. She took her hand off of it and removed his hand from her head. She wanted to be in control here.

Before she knew what hit her, he was filling her mouth. Her eyes burst open with shock. She tried to pull herself off, but his hand grabbed her head again, pushing her down. After about 7 huge squirts into her mouth, he let her go. She felt it in her mouth, mixed with all her own spit. She felt like she might choke on it all, and having him inside her mouth at the same time wasn't helping. She slowly took her mouth off of him, a bunch of the stuff falling out of her mouth as she did. By the time she was off of him, her mouth was empty. She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. She looked at the thing she was just sucking on and saw all her own marks on it. She could even see how far down she had gone because of where the spit stopped. She looked up at Kenny while smiling, but he looked like he was hypnotised.

"Ke-" She couldn't even say his name before she started coughing uncontrollably. Her mouth felt sore. When she looked back up at him, he was putting his pants back on. She wanted to say something, but like a bolt of lightning, he had left the living room and locked himself in the bathroom.

She wiped her mouth again, getting rid of what was left of the stuff. She could still taste him in her mouth.

She smiled as she looked at the spit and cum covered floor. She wasn't a kid anymore.

"I showed him" She smiled, before lying back down on the couch and falling into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke up to a familiar, soft voice in his ear.

"C'mon, Kenny, time to get up."

He groaned loudly as he lifted himself slightly off the bed with his elbows. Clementine was sitting next to him, her hand on his leg. Kenny tried to gain the strength to muster a single thought out of his brain.

Slowly, he was able to spit out a few words. "Wha...What time...What time is it?" Clem took his hand into hers and lifted it. She brought his wrist closer to her so she could read his watch. He had found it on the bedside table the day before. Knowing the time these days was insignificant, but a hell of a luxury.

"It's...2." Clem said, letting go of his hand and watching it weakly drop back on the bed.

"Jesus Christ...You shouldn't have let me sleep so damn long..." he said, scratching his beard.

"Well, looks like you needed it." She knew he hadn't slept in a few days, and was happy she was able to get him to rest for a while. "You're right darlin', I did." He said, sitting himself up against the wall behind the bed.

"God, I feel like shit...I'm dizzy as all hell, my head's pounding like you wouldn't believe...I know this feeling all too well. I was drinking, wasn't I?"

Clem gave him a stern face. There it was, that look again. The one that suddenly made him feel like he was the biggest dick to ever exist on earth.

"You don't need to look at me like that." He said, focusing his attention away from her deadly gaze.

She stopped frowning, and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. Kenny felt better knowing that despite the fact he fucked up so many times, she still cared about him like he did with her.

"What exactly happened last night?" Kenny asked, breaking the calm silence.

Clem felt uneasy. She kept staring in front of her. "You don't...remember last night?"

"Ehhh...bits and pieces." He replied, trying to gather his thoughts. His head was pounding so hard he couldn't keep a straight thought going for long.

Clem took her head off his shoulders, and stared up at him.  
>"Do you remember anything...special?"<p>

He wasn't exactly sure what she was getting at, but he was in such bad shape that he wasn't going to try figuring it out. "Nah, nothin...special. Care to fill me in?"

Clem felt hurt. She looked down at the bed. How could he forget something like that?

"No, nevermind." She said, blankly, before getting off the bed and walking down the hallway.

Kenny knew that somehow he had fucked up. He didn't know how or what it was, but he did something wrong, and she was upset with him. That girl was a puzzle, but she made herself clear when she didn't like something.

He slowly lifted himself off the bed, groaning the whole time, before finding the strength to leave the room and follow Clementine into the living room he had fallen asleep in the night before. Clem was sitting on the couch, staring at her feet.

"I'll, uh...get us some breakfast" he said, walking toward the kitchen.

"Kay" Clem answered quietly, not averting her eyes from the floor. That response was enough for him to know for sure that she was pissed at him. He reached into one of the large duffel bags that was on the counter and pulled out a plastic, air tight bag of dried fruit and nuts. He poured them into a bowl for Clem, and then poured what was left into a small plate for himself. He took out the box of stale cereal and added some in as well.

Clem was all the while staring at the floor, thinking a hundred thoughts a minute. She still felt upset that Kenny forgot what they had done last night, but she knew it wasn't his fault. She'd have to remind him at some point, though. She couldn't let him completely forget something like that.

She almost jumped when Kenny plopped down next to her on the couch. She had been so lost in thought that she got a scare when he snapped her out of her trance.

"There ya go, Chef Kenny's 5 star breakfast." He joked, as he handed her the bowl of dried nuts, fruit and stale cereal. It wasn't exactly good, but it was a hell of a lot better than some of the other things she's eaten when she was with Christa.

"...Thanks..." she whispered, taking the bowl out of his hand, and staring back at the floor. He sighed.

She felt mean ignoring Kenny like this, he didn't mean to hurt her, and she knew it. She wasn't being fair.

"Thank you, Kenny." She said in a nicer tone, with a forced smile. Her forced smile became genuine as he smiled back at her.

"Don't mention it, sweetie."

They both turned to their food. Clem scooped up a handful of nuts and cereal and brought it to her mouth. She felt her jaw start to cramp as she opened her mouth to eat. She forgot how wide she had to open her mouth last night when she had...

She immediately shook away the thought, not wanting herself to get angry at Kenny again. As she started eating, she decided to ask Kenny something she had been wondering for a while.

"So, what's the plan?"

Somehow, he had prepared himself for this question. He knew it was coming. Clem was a smart girl and was always looking forward.

"We wait. This cabin is secure. With all the supplies we got from Wellington we could just wait out here for more than a month before we need to go looking for more. Hell, maybe they'll give us another bag, I don't know. But for now, we're fine. We can...live for a while. Not have to worry about finding food and water. It'll be nice. And one day, maybe they'll let us into Wellington. Like that lady said, things might change in a little bit. We're only a couple miles away, we can go and pay 'em a visit every few weeks, see if things are looking any better."

Clem hated the idea of staying put in one place for too long, she wanted to always keep moving. But it did sound nice to be able to just live for a little bit. To not have to go looking for shelter and food every day.

"What d'ya say?" He asked.

"I...Yeah, I like it." They both gave each other a smile before finishing their breakfast. Clem got up and walked to the kitchen. She was about to start washing the dishes when Kenny appeared beside her.

"Nah, Clem, don't you worry yourself about that. I'll do them." He took the bowl out of her hand and started scrubbing at what few dishes they had in the sink. She didn't like how he always did everything for her. She wanted to be able to do things for herself, she didn't need him guiding her for everything. She enjoyed figuring things out on her own. Like last night, when he had held her head. She didn't like him trying to guide her, she wanted to be able to do it on her own-

Again, again she thought of last night. She couldn't get it out of her head no matter how much she distracted herself. She HAD to tell Kenny, it was driving her crazy.

He turned around and faced her, his sleeves rolled up. "There we go, all nice and clean."

She felt like a kid again, having Kenny do the dishes for her. She looked down at his pants. She was so confused. Where had it gone? She remembered it being as tall tall as her head. Where was he hiding it?

She didn't realize she had been staring until he spoke up. "Clem?" She looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Uh." Was all she could manage to say.

"What, did I forget to put pants on?" He joked, but Clem just stood there, embarrassed. She wasn't staring him in the eye, and he noticed that.

"Clem..." He was starting to get concerned. "You've been acting weird as hell since this morning, and I'm too hung-over to figure this shit out. What...happened last night?" She looked back up at him, and took a deep breath.

She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the right words to use. How could you describe something like that?

Instead, she took him by the hand and led him to the living room couch. She sat herself down on it and he stood in front of her. He had no idea what the hell she was trying to prove, but he was curious.

She looked up at him. "Remember anything yet?" She asked.

He shook his head no, and she saw the confused look on his face. She knew that there was only one way to refresh his memory.

She grabbed at his bulge.

He jumped back in shock at what just happened. "CLEM? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU-"

She seemed extremely shocked by his reaction, and he realized that he had scared her again. But he was still completely flabbergasted.

He tried to think of what to say next. "Clem? What the...fuck, Clem, you..."

"NOW do you remember?" She asked, and that's when it hit him. Memories of last night came flooding back into his head. Images flashed in his mind and he was frozen.

After a few seconds, she felt uncomfortable. He was staring into space. She got off the couch and walked closer toward him. "Kenny?" She said, tugging his shirt.

He suddenly jolted, as if he had just woken up. He stared at Clem, feeling like he was going to throw up. He slowly backed up and hit against the wall, knocking over a painting that was hanging. Clem stared at him, he seemed to be scared of her, it made her feel horrible.

"Clem...please...tell me...that didn't happen..." She slowly nodded at him, fearing what would come next. She saw his eye open wide, and he looked disgusted and shocked all at once.

"I...kissed you." She said, hoping to clear the confusion a little. He suddenly walked toward her, and kneeled down to her level. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked her in the eye. "Clem..." he took his hand off of her, disgusted with himself. "Clem, did I hurt you? Or...or threaten you, or... do something to make you do that? Did I...did..."

At this point, she felt more annoyed than scared. He needed to get a hold of himself.

"KENNY." She said sternly. He looked at her dead in the eye.

"I asked what was in your pants. I grabbed it, and you got upset. Then, I convinced you to take off your pants. After that, I.." He lifted his hand over her mouth. He heard enough. He knew he could never live with himself after this.

He slowly got up to his feet and took deep breaths.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked, now frustrated.

"Clem, you just-you don't understand. You can't do things like that. It's wrong. Not that...you did anything bad, just...I shouldn't have made you do that...I'm sorry, Clem, I'm so...so..."

"Why not?" She interrupted him. "You sure didn't complain last night" she teased, poking him in the belly. "In fact, I think I did a pretty good job." She had felt proud of herself for proving to him she wasn't a kid anymore, and now he was trying to take that away from her. She wouldn't let that happen.

"No, no, no no..." He repeated to himself as he started pacing back and forth. "You're just a kid, Clementine...you can't..."

Those words made her angry. "I'm not a kid, Kenny! I thought I proved that to you last night, but now you're just back to treating me like you always do!"

"I'm trying to protect you. I can't be doing things like this to you. You're not safe around me anymore, Clem."

"I liked it." She finally said. He looked a bit shocked. "Yeah, I liked it. It was fun. And you liked it too. So if what I did was so bad, why are you the one acting like a kid? I thought I was the kid?"

He knew she was right, and he hated it. She wasn't a kid anymore, and he knew it. It didn't change the fact that he felt like a monster.

"Fuck, Clem..." He couldn't think of anything to say, there was so much going on in his head.

She realized the best thing was to give him some space to think about what she told him. She walked out of the living room and entered her room, closing the door tightly behind her. She lied on her bed and stared at the ceiling, telling herself that she would have to convince him one way or another.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Man, this story seems to be getting a lot more negative reviews than the other Clem fanfictions, which is odd. If you don't like the ship or the fact that it's about a younger character, please don't bother reviewing, because that's not really helpful criticism. Besides, I'm not the first one to make a Clem fanfiction, so it's a bit confusing why this one is the one getting the most hate. Oh well. Like I said, the only reason I write this is because Clem is pretty much just a small adult now, with everything she's had to go through, and how mature she is, It's easy to forget she's young. But I digress, to those who do like this story, here's another chapter, not much action in it, but the next one (coming this week) will be more smut, less talk. Hope you enjoy! 

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><p>She had managed to catch Kenny just as he was about to walk out the front door.<p>

"Where are you going?" she asked calmly, as she stepped out into the hallway.

He didn't want to be seen leaving, he was trying to be quiet. "I'm, uh.. going for a walk." He responded, not looking back to face her. Clem understood him wanting to be alone for a little bit, but it still made her uncomfortable. "You're just going to leave me and AJ by ourselves?"

"I won't be long." He said, forcing himself not to look at her. He didn't wait for an answer from her, he swung open the door and walked out into the snowy yard as Clementine stood there worrying.

She could take care of herself, she knew that. She just hated being separated from Kenny. She picked up AJ in her arms and rocked him gently as he smiled up at her. Taking care of him made her feel like she was doing what Lee did with her, and that he would be proud to see her now.

The thought of Lee made her get a lump in her throat. She would always forget how much thinking of him made her sad until it was too late. She put AJ on the couch gently, wrapping him in his blanket. She tried to clear her mind by putting herself to work. She headed to the backyard to gather some firewood for tonight.

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><p>It was almost night time. She couldn't stop the thoughts from rushing to her head all at once. Was he dead? Was he kidnapped by a group of bandits? Did he run away? Did he fall and hit his head and get knocked unconscious, now lying in the cold snow? No, no. Clem calmed tried to calm herself. AJ started to get upset as well, and she noticed it. Her nervous pacing and mumbling must have set him off. He was crying louder than she had heard him cry before, but she couldn't even gather herself enough to console him. She felt sick, she felt like the walls were closing in on her, and that she was trapped. She started having trouble breathing, and each breathe felt harder and harder to take. Kenny was gone. He was dead. Now she was all alone with a baby. She hasn't felt this lonely since Lee died. The fear was getting to her head, and now she couldn't control all the horrible thoughts that forced themselves into her mind.<p>

Kenny stared at the beautiful sight he was witnessing. He felt lucky to be able to see something like this in such shit times. The sun was just slowly going down, breaking a light, soft glow against the sides of the snowy mountains. He watched in awe and absolute peace.

Then he looked toward the forest. The forest just passed that mountain. He thought of how easy it would be, to just run, and never look back. Clem was strong, she could take care of herself. Lee, Christa and all the people who died to keep her safe had made her strong enough to survive on her own. She didn't need him, he thought to himself. He protected her, kept her safe for as long as he could. But now, he needed to protect her from himself. He let the thoughts flow in his head as he watched the sun slowly set behind the mountains, and dimming into a soft glow that he could barely see. He watched what remained of the sight slowly disappear into darkness, and all the thoughts in his mind faded into nothing.

Then, he turned around, and walked back.

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><p>She nearly had a heart attack when she heard him creak open the door. He noticed the look on her face and the pale of her skin. She was about to speak, but he already knew everything she had to say. Her face said it all.<p>

"I know, Clem. I'm sorry I took so long. I know I must'a scared you."

"Scared me? I thought you were dead, or worse." She replied, still in a little bit of shock. She held AJ in her arms, and he was finally calm.

"I know, I know. Won't happen again, I promise you that." He looked over at the fireplace, which was already bearing a huge flame. "You started the fire?" He asked her, a bit impressed.

"Yeah, it's not that hard."

"Well, I'll be damned. You're just full of hidden talents, aren't ya?"

She smiled slightly, but still didn't feel happy about him leaving her and AJ for so long.

He could tell that she was still upset with him, and he didn't blame her for that.

"Here, I got something that'll cheer you up." He said, pulling out a small animal from his pack.

She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it was fresh meat, and that was something she hadn't had as long as she can remember. He was right, It did cheer her up. "What is it?" She asked.

"Rabbit. I already gut, skinned and cleaned it. Caught it just down the road on my way back. Since you went ahead and got that fire started, I'll get to cooking it up."

It didn't look like much of a meal, it was a pretty small animal, anyway. But it sure beats eating dried fruit and stale cereal for the hundredth time. She watched him stuff it onto a skewer and cook it over the fire, which almost made her laugh. It was like he was roasting marshmallows.

She bottle fed AJ one more time for the night, and put him into his small cardboard box cushioned with blankets. Kenny and Clem sat at the small wooden table and he started plucking pieces of meat onto a plate for her. She got a little concerned when she realized that he was giving her the whole rabbit, and not taking any for himself.  
>"Why aren't you taking any?" She asked him as he threw the bits of fat and bone into a garbage bin.<p>

"Consider it a make-up present for being a dumbass today. I shouldn't have left you on your own, I was being selfish."

"I'm not angry at you, Kenny. I get why you wanted to be alone."

"I know you're not angry at me, darlin', but I am."

He started walking toward the bedroom.

"I'm gon' hit the hay, you put out that fire once you're done."

She watched him slowly walk down the hallway, and she still felt like she didn't completely understand what he was talking about. She still had questions, and needed answers.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you everyone for the kind words! And don't worry BloodyClementine, I didn't take offense to the review haha. I'm glad people are enjoying this fanfic, it makes me want to continue it, which I most likely will for a while. This chapter is complete SMUT, so fair warning if that's not your thing. Also, I'm sorry that it's so damn short, I'll make up for it next time! Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p>She crawled into bed next to him, trying to be as quiet as possible. As soon as her head hit the pillow and she thought she had managed to not wake him, he spoke, almost causing her to jump.<p>

"Hey, Clem. Don't worry, you didn't wake me...I can't sleep. Not after a day like today." She thought of how to answer him, but he spoke again before she had the chance to respond.

"I just can't stop thinking about the things you told me. About not being a little girl anymore." She lied next to him, staring at the ceiling.

She felt him shuffling around next to her, and before she realized what was happening, he was on top of her. "And you're right, Clem. Like you usually are." She wanted to speak up, to ask him what he was doing, but she felt it would be better to let him talk. He held her cheek in his rough hand. His warmth made her feel something she hadn't felt before. He stared into her beautiful golden yellow eyes, and bit his lip. "If you're sure you want this...and I do what I'm going to do..."

She was still unsure what was happening, but now was starting to understand what he was getting at.

"Once we do this...there's no going back. Whatever innocence you have left...whatever is left of the little girl you were...it's gone."

She felt a little nervous, but also happy. He finally understood that she wanted to be an adult.

"I'm ready." She said confidently. He smiled faintly, and reached to take off her hat. "No..." she whispered, grabbing his hand gently. She hated other people touching her hat. Even though she trusted Kenny with her life, it made her uncomfortable. He stared at her, a bit confused, as she slowly placed her hat on the bedside table. "Sorry..." She said, looking back up at the man lying on top of her. He stared her right in the eyes for a few seconds, before moving his head closer, and planting his lips onto hers. She knew it was coming, but it still took her by surprise. She had seen it in movies, yet it still felt weird. She closed her eyes and did her best to follow him. It felt weird, but it made her feel warm and excited at the thought of what was happening. She gasped and pulled away from him as his hands began to unbutton her jeans. He could see she was getting nervous. "Shh, it's alright, darlin'." He brought himself further down the bed, as he pulled her jeans down around her ankles, and slipped them off. He followed the same actions again, this time taking off her panties. She felt nervous, and she knew he was in total control at this point.

She shivered as his hands touched her inner thighs, slowly rubbing higher up her leg. He touched her in an area that she had never let anyone see before, which made her body tense up. He started rubbing and touching her, which made her close her eyes and let out a small sound through her tightly sealed lips. She had no idea what she was feeling, but she didn't want it to stop. She felt him slowly lay down, his head now between her legs. She bent her knees, and slowly lifted herself with her elbows, curious what he was doing. Before she could open her mouth, she felt his warm tongue slowly glide against her area from bottom to top. The feeling made her quiver as she let out yet another odd sound. She shuddered as she felt his tongue stick inside of her, the sensation was so odd yet so pleasant. She grabbed his curly hair with her hand as he continued to lick and swirl his tongue inside her. She let out moans that she wasn't controlling, she couldn't hold herself together, she was completely mesmerised, the only thought in her mind was the amazing feeling he was giving her. He pushed his tongue deeper into her, licking faster and faster. The sound of her own moaning made her even more excited. The thrill and pleasure started to climb quickly, and she felt something building. She pushed his head closer as he continued licking and touching her. She felt something coming, and didn't want him to stop for anything. She gripped the bed sheets tightly as she let out a loud moan, she felt her body jolt and tremble multiple times, a heavy feeling of bliss, pleasure and satisfaction overwhelming her.

She fell back onto the pillow, breathless. She felt Kenny slowly climb back up and lay down next to her. "That...was..." she barely managed to push the words out through her own heavy breaths. She was interrupted when they heard A.J's crying come from the small makeshift crib. All those sounds she made must have woken him.

"I got 'im, you get some rest, sweetheart." He said to her, climbing off the bed and picking up A.J as he walked into the living room.

She felt completely drained, but also satisfied and happy. She couldn't help but smile as she pulled up her panties and pants, and lied down under the covers.


	5. Chapter 5: Frank

Hey everyone, since the last chapter was so short, here's a longer one for you! A lot happens this chapter, and by the end of it, there'll be a decision (since, after all, this is based on The walking dead) whichever choice gets more votes will happen in the next chapter. So, once you finish reading, don't forget to leave a review with the choice you think Clementine should make! Thanks for reading and all your support! See you next week!

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><p>Clementine was awoken in anxiety by the deafening, unmistakable bang of a pistol. She jumped out of bed and, as fast as her legs allowed her, ran to AJ's makeshift crib. She felt her heart sink as she stared at the empty cradle. She sprinted to the living room, finding it completely abandoned as well. Kenny and AJ were gone, and she was alone. She felt her teeth chatter uncontrollably as absolute panic overwhelmed her. She jerked in fear when she heard a familiar voice yell from outside.<p>

"One more move and that'll be your fuckin' head, asshole!"

It was _Kenny!_ Oddly enough, the sound of his voice didn't comfort her, it made her more distressed, in fact.

She struggled to force herself to the front door, and held the doorknob with her sweaty hand. In the other, she drew her pistol. She took a deep breath before swinging the door open.

On the snowy lawn stood Kenny, holding AJ in one arm, and aiming his pistol with the other. A young man stood an uncomfortably short distance from him, his hands in the air.

"KENNY!" She yelled, as she also aimed her pistol at the stranger.

He didn't turn his head to face her when he spoke back. "Clem! Thank god you're here. Search this sum'bitch, make sure he doesn't have weapons"

Clementine obeyed as she jogged to the man. He seemed to be maybe twenty or so, possibly older. He had short brown hair, and hid his sky blue eyes behind a pair of fogged up glasses. He had goatee and a stubble of a beard across his face. He wore a thick leather jacket and a pair of brown slacks. She noticed his look of concern as she reached into his pants pocket, pulling out nothing but a handful of lint. She turned to make sure Kenny was still keeping an eye on them before proceeding, which he was. She reached into his other pocket, and this time pulled out a large hunting knife, which was folded closed. It had a tactical black handle, and had a small thumb hole on the side of the metal. She stuck her thumb into it and pulled forward, revealing the tall blade. She closed it again before placing it into her own pocket.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess you can have that." The stranger spoke, which Clementine ignored.

"Nobody asked you." She heard Kenny growl from behind her. He didn't have any other pockets, but she noticed the bulge in his pants. She already knew what that was, though.

She paused for a second before searching through his Jacket, finding a picture of what seemed to be him with some woman. It was clearly a long time ago, he seemed less tan, and didn't have facial hair.

"Now, you can keep the knife, kid, but I'm gonna need that picture back." She looked up at him, and stared directly into his eyes. She was about to open her mouth to speak when Kenny spoke for her.

"One more fuckin' word and I swear to god..."

She heard his thick boots crunch through the snow as he walked closer to her.

"So? He's clean?"

She turned to face Kenny, handing him the knife. He handed AJ to her, and they both turned to face the stranger.

"You here by yourself?" Kenny asked sternly, and Clementine noticed the man falter slightly before replying.

"I, uh...Had a group. They're gone now."

Kenny didn't believe him. He'd had enough of strange people and groups finding them.

"What's your story? Up here in the middle a' damn nowhere, freezing out in the cold by yourself? Obviously you're either bullshitting, or you're a damned idiot."

Clementine didn't like where this was going. She could feel the temper in Kenny's voice raise.

"The name's Frank. My group and I came from down south, looking for a place called Wellington. We got into a shit ton of trouble once we reached Michigan. To make a long story short, they're gone. I'm the only one left. I'm still looking for the place. I don't mean any harm to you or your kids."

Kenny clearly wasn't buying his tale, and was getting visibly angry. Clem didn't want this to end the way it did with Jane.

She held his hand, which got his attention. He looked down at her, and stared into her eyes. The face she gave him made him understand almost immediately.

"Look, I'm real sorry I bothered you folks...and I don't blame you for being suspicious. But I haven't eaten in days, I've been walking in this damn cold for god knows how long and I'm not gonna make it much longer. You can keep me at gunpoint if it makes you feel better, but I'd be real grateful if you'd let me in your cabin here."

She heard Kenny scoff, and nearly laugh.  
>"You're fuckin' nuts."<p>

He felt Clementine's grip tighten on his hand, and he sighed quietly. He had done so much to hurt her, and put her through so much, that he promised he would change. He knew it was what she wanted more than anything at this point.

He paused for a second before pointing his gun back up at the stranger, motioning him toward the cabin. Clem felt a sort of joy that Kenny had understood what she wanted.

She noticed Frank's face light up with what could be either awe or absolute glee.

As they entered the cabin, the sound of the raging wind came to a stop when Clementine shut the heavy door behind them. She watched in a mixture of emotions as the stranger, Frank, gawked in every direction of the house, clearly dazzled.

"Damn, you've got a real nice place here! Holy hell, is that a fireplace?!"

They both watched in uneasiness as he approached the fire, gazing as if it was an amazing sight. Clearly, he was grateful to simply have a roof over his head, and being around other people was likely a huge blessing.

Kenny felt like something about this guy was off, and he didn't like his odd attitude. He seemed much too ecstatic for his liking.

Clementine decided to break the uncomfortable silence."So, about Wellington-"

Frank turned to face them. "Wait, you know about the place?" He responded, cutting her off.

Kenny answered for her. "Yeah. We were looking for it too, came all the way up to this barren, freezing fuckin' cold state just to reach it. When we finally did, they turned us away. Apparently, they're over capacity. I almost got the kids in, but..."

He turned to look at Clem, but she was already staring at him. They looked at each other for a few seconds, both seemingly deadpan, before a faint smile formed on Kenny's lips, which Clementine responded to by smiling back.

The moment ended when Frank spoke up, catching them both off guard.

"So, you're not her dad, are you?"

"Heh, no. I'm just looking after her. The baby, too."

"We're looking after each other" Clem corrected him, which made him smile.

Clementine led the man to the kitchen, showing him the bags of supplies they had gotten from Wellington. "They gave us these, and told us to come back in a few months. We've just been holding out here for a little over a week."

Frank was clearly impressed at the state of their supplies. "Uh, I know we just met, and you barely even know the first damn thing about me, but like I said, I haven't eaten in days, and I'm feeling really sluggish. You wouldn't mind sparing a meal, would you?"

Kenny's expression was enough to answer his question, to which the man simply hung his head in response.

"Kenny." Her soft voice whispered.

He knew that she was going to debate this with him, and he wasn't going to hurt her again. He hesitantly nodded to her.

She pulled out a small, air tight bag of dried nuts and handed it to the man. He was clearly starving, and was more grateful than she'd expected.

"Thank you, thank you so much...You have no idea-"

"Yeah, we get it. You're welcome." Kenny muttered, dropping AJ into his box.

The man scoffed down the bag in a few seconds, and thanked Clementine again.

She liked him, he seemed nice. He reminded her of Luke a little bit.

"I'll prove my worth to you, I can promise that. I can hunt, though there aren't many animals around here besides little rabbits. I'd be more than happy to help you folks out however I can."

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on just a damn minute. I sure hope you're not seriously asking us to let you stay." Kenny growled, walking back toward Frank.

"I mean, I can understand why you would want me to go my own way, but honestly, from what you two are telling me, there's nothing out there. Even if I were to find wellington, they wouldn't let me in. Besides, you seem to be doing pretty well on supplies-"

Kenny cut him off. "And having another mouth to feed is only gonna drain those supplies faster."

"But that's exactly my point; I won't just be another mouth to feed. Like I said, I'll help you hunt and find food, hell, I'll even make runs into a town every week if there's one around here. I'll do whatever it takes to throw my weight around. And, from what I can tell, you're not the only one making the decision here." He said, turning to look at Clementine. It made her feel a form of pride that he saw them as equals rather than looking at her like a child, and Kenny as the responsible adult.

"All I'm asking for is a chance to prove my worth to you. I'll do whatever I can to not end up as a liability or a burden on you both. You don't have to decide now, we can spend the day to get to know each other, and by the end of it, you can figure out whether or not you want my company."

Kenny visibly was considering what the man was saying, trying his best not to be stubborn. He wanted him gone so badly, but knew that he had promised Clementine he would change.

"One day. One. Day. Then we'll decide if you're hitting th' road." He finally said bitterly, clearly unhappy about his decision. A small smile formed on Frank's face, which both Kenny and Clem noticed. They were both unsure about the man.

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><p>Clementine, Kenny and Frank all sat at the dinner table. Clementine was feeding AJ, and Kenny had just finished telling a joke that she didn't really understand, something about a man fishing with his wife. Even though she didn't get it, it made her glad to see Kenny laughing and speaking with such a positive attitude. He and Frank were sharing a bottle of Wine, and she noticed how well the two seemed to be getting along. At first, it was mostly Frank telling Kenny and Clementine how he ended up alone, and soon enough, the both of them were exchanging stories and jokes. It was now dark out, which she noticed through the curtains of the living room window.<p>

"So, Clementine, is it?" The man asked her.

"Uh, yeah. Clementine."

Kenny spoke up, saving her the trouble of answering too many questions.

"Like I said, she's the toughest little girl I've ever met. She's been through a hell of a lot, and I'm far from being her dad, or being Lee...but I'm doing my best."

She felt taken aback by his mentioning of Lee, it caught her completely off guard.

Frank was clearly puzzled. "Lee? Who's that, If you don't mind me asking?"

Kenny must have been a little bit drunk, Clementine realized, because he didn't even recognize what he had said until now.

"Uh, don't worry about that. We can save it for another time."

Frank stood out of his chair, yawning.  
>"Listen, I know I said you two could decide if I'm sticking around or not tonight, but could we do that In the morning? If I do end up back on the road, it'd be nice to have a few hours of rest in me."<p>

While Kenny would normally decline something like this, he seemed to have no problem nodding in agreement.

"Last room down the hall. Big comfy bed waiting for you."

Clementine felt a little bit anxious letting the man sleep in the same house as them, but Kenny seemed pretty confident, so she simply didn't debate it.

As the man thanked them again, he wished them a good night before heading down the hallway into the small room, shutting the door behind him.

"So..." Clementine said, trying to lead straight into the conversation she knew was coming.

"I was trying to get him drunk, you know." Kenny remarked, suddenly seeming more lucid.

"I thought **you **were drunk?" Clementine asked, a little confused, to which Kenny almost laughed in response.

"You really think me of all people would get drunk after just a few glasses of wine? C'mon. I wanted to see if he was hiding something that a little alcohol might bring out. He told us just about everything he did to get this far, call me nuts, but I think that bastard's telling the truth. He seems like he's told us all he has to tell."

Clem agreed, but It was hard for her to put her faith in strangers after everything that's happened. Even people she thought were her friends have betrayed her, people like Mike and Bonnie.

"What do you think? He could be useful, he says he's done a lot of hunting before all this, and seems to be a smart motherfucker...but then again, we might just be seeing one side of the guy. What do you think, should we let him stay, or cut him loose?"

**A. Let him stay**

**B. Make him leave**


	6. Chapter 6: Sunrise

A/N:**HAPPY HALLOWEEN!** Thank you to everyone who reads this FF, you're seriously all so awesome! I didn't expect so many people to vote on Frank's fate, so that was a big surprise to me! When I started writing this, 10 of you voted for him to stay, and six of you said he should leave. So, looks like he's sticking around, which will certainly be interesting considering he's an original character, so it'll be pretty cool to write him into the story!

To BLACK-OP1: I really love this review, because you handle the subject so maturely. I really do hope you stick around till the end, but I would obviously understand if you didn't. There are times when it feels wrong to write this kind of story, but I've come so far with it that I'm just going to stick to my guns and continue writing. And, with the issue of Kenny being slightly OOC with this ship, you have to understand that certain boundaries need to be broken in order for a story like this to work. Also, the man's been living in the apocalypse for two years, and just lost the love of his life a second time...that can have a big effect on a "family man" like Kenny, so it isn't necessarily unrealistic, it all depends on how you look at it! Also, I _have_ considered making an alternate version of this fanfic once this one is finished that doesn't involve smut (for people such as you who enjoy the story but not the Clenny ship) but that will, of course, come later on, if I feel it would be beneficial. And I appreciate your compliments on my writing, it certainly means a lot!

To Urbandude: I'm really glad you enjoy the story! Thanks for reading!

To **lol**: Stay tuned ;)

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, but the next one may be *SLIGHTLY* late, so I apologize in advance if it is! Anyway, thanks for reading, and for all the support! P.S. the next chapter will have a smutty moment in it, fair warning in advance!

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><p>"I think we should let him stay for a while. He seems nice, I like him." Clementine replied, facing Kenny at the dinner table. Kenny seemed a bit dubious, but knew that Clementine was capable of making the right call.<br>"Well, if that's what you thinks' best, then that's what we do. You're usually right about these things, Clem, so If you think he's okay, then I'm okay."

Kenny pulled out the large folded hunting knife Clementine found on the man, placing it in front of her.  
>"You hold onto that for a little while, 'til we know can trust this guy." Clementine nodded in agreement, AJ now fast asleep in her arms.<p>

Kenny turned his head to face the door down the short hallway. "Th' hell was I thinking lettin' the guy take the bed? Maybe I **_am _**a little drunk. I sure as hell don't want you crawling in bed next to that fruitcake, so looks like you're taking the couch tonight. Sorry 'bout that, darlin."

"Aren't you gonna sleep on the couch _with_ me?" Clementine asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"With that guy under the same roof as you and Alvie? Nah, I'm staying up tonight."

"I'm staying up with you." She replied with tenacity.

Kenny looked at his watch. "It's almost midnight, Clem, ain't it way past your bedtime?" He chuckled to himself, but Clementine didn't find it very funny. He smiled when he noticed the deadpan look on her face. "I know, I know, you're not a kid anymore. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Clementine looked Kenny in the eye, tilting her head slightly.

"So..." she slowly started to stand up, placing AJ in his box.  
>She turned to face Kenny.<p>

She spoke slowly, looking him in the eye. "Since we're both staying up tonight...what do you..want to do?"

He could see what she was getting at, by the look of desire on her face. He noticed her smile anxiously at him, and could tell she was trying to keep herself together, though she was obviously flushed and nervous. He felt his heart beat faster and harder.

"I...uh...Need some air.." He barely managed to notice the look of discouragement on her face as he turned to walk toward the front door.

She stared at the floor, upset that Kenny wanted to get away from her. She noticed him pause in front of the door, turning his head to face her.

"Uh...Clem...this Fred fella..."  
>"Frank", she corrected him.<br>"Shit. Yeah, Frank. He, uh...doesn't need to know about...the..."

"Kissing stuff." She interrupted, feeling a little bit somber.

"...Yeah. Just...he doesn't need to know." He finished. Clem shuddered slightly as Kenny swung open the door, letting the cold air rush in before closing it behind him.

She stood, staring at the door for a few moments. She wasn't exactly sure what to feel. She felt hurt that Kenny walked away like that, but also felt slightly uncertain as to why he was avoiding her. Did she do something wrong? Was he angry at her? She simply let the shallow feeling overwhelm her, sitting back on the wooden chair at the dinner table. She rested her head in her arms, pondering how to talk to Kenny next time.

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><p>She woke in a small fright as the sound of howling wind rushed into the small cabin. She watched as Kenny, covered in snow flakes, shut the heavy door behind him, bringing the noise to a sudden stop.<p>

His cheeks were red and bright, probably because of the cold, Clem noted.  
>"Oh, hey. You're still up, huh?" He said, walking toward the table. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision. She didn't realize she had fallen asleep.<p>

"Where did you go?" She asked, slightly groggy.

"Just...out. For a walk."

She didn't like that. "Again? You did the same thing the other night, remember? That was dumb."

He seemed slightly guilty, and didn't look her in the eyes.

"I wasn't gone too long, darling...But you're right, I'm sorry. I just...needed some air, that's all."

She'd had enough of this. He was always avoiding talking about what was really bothering him, and she just wanted to ask him about it upfront, and get it out-of-the-way.

She was about to speak up, when he spoke first.

"Want to...uh, play cards?"

She cocked an eyebrow, which let him know what she thought of his suggestion.  
>"We only got a few hours 'till we wake the guy up...What should we do 'till then?" He said, and Clementine noticed it was starting to become bright outside.<p>

"Actually, I've got an idea. Want to see something cool?" He said, smiling. She wanted to talk to him about something else, but decided that she could save it for later. She simply shrugged, before slipping out a quiet "...Sure.".

"Grab your coat." He told her, heading back toward the front door. She wrapped AJ in his blanket and picked him up before following Kenny, who was opening the door. The wind had calmed slightly, and It was barely snowing. As Kenny shut the door behind them, Clementine stared at the dark clouds that hung just above the tree line. She observed the soft streaks of orange and red that formed at the edges of them, just out of her sight.

"Ain't much of a walk. I really think you'll like this." Kenny said, walking in front of her. She followed him, carrying AJ in her arms.

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><p>When he said it wasn't much of a walk, he was lying, Clem thought to herself. It felt like they'd been walking forever.<p>

"Kenny, how much farther is it?"

"We're nearly there, Clem. Just passed these trees." They both noticed the glare of light shining through the entangled leaves of the remaining trees in their path, and as they passed through them, reaching the edge of the forest, Clem felt taken aback by the sight in front of her.

They had made it just on time to catch the most beautiful sight she'd seen since before everything started. She stared in awe at the view; the snow-covered mountains stood almost completely parallel, between them, the full, glistening sun was sitting on a cluster of golden, red and orange clouds, distorting the star into a large gleaming sphere. The mountains ahead seemed to glow against the fluorescent sunlight. It was completely captivating.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Kenny asked, staring ahead.

"Ha, Yeah" She replied, smiling.

"It's good to remind ourselves that the world ain't as dark as it seems sometimes. We're living in such shit times, but...we can't forget that there's still some light left, ya just need to look for it." Kenny said, slightly turning to face Clem, who was still staring ahead.

The sight itself was enough to make her forget about everything she's lost, at least for the moment.  
>"Clem..."<p>

The tone of his voice let her know he was going to say something important, so she turned to face him. He kneeled down to her level, and stared her in the eye.

"Thanks...for not giving up on me just yet. I know I haven't done the best job of looking after ya...I've put you through so much, and I can't stop thinking of all the times I must'a hurt you, without even realizing it. But I promise, that's all going to change...from here on out, things are gonna be different. I know I can be a real piece of shit sometimes...but I'm trying to change, Clem, you know I am. I'm doing what I can."

Clementine felt a lump in her throat, and started to feel her eyes burn. She blinked quickly, trying to shake it off. She didn't know how to reply. She looked at him for a moment, thinking of how to respond, her heart feeling heavy. But before she could say anything, he threw his arms around her, holding her in a tight hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. They continued to embrace for a moment before Kenny pulled himself away slowly, holding his hands on her shoulders.

"We're gonna be okay, Clem. Things're gonna get better now."

He turned his head, looking one more time at the sun, watching as it raised immeasurably slowly between the snowy mountains. Clementine felt her grip on AJ tighten as she let Kenny's words replay in her head.  
>"Let's go home." She told him, and he slowly nodded in response.<p>

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><p>They didn't say a word to each other the entire walk back. As they got toward the edge of the forest, they approached the snowy field where the cabin stood just a few minutes' walk away. They were both eager to get back to the warmth of the lodge, and be able to finally stop walking.<p>

They only had a few meters of forest left before they would be out in the open field, which made them both feel more comfortable. It was hard to see very far in the forest.

As they approached the field, Clementine barely had time to react when she heard Kenny shout.  
>His arm pushed her out of the way, and she watched in horror as a walker that had seemingly appeared out of thin air threw its arms forward, trying to grab at Kenny. Clementine fumbled her back pocket to reach her pistol, only to find air. It had fallen out when Kenny pushed her. Ken fell backward, and Clementine panicked as the walker stumbled on top of him. He stretched out his left arm, holding the monster's neck against his forearm, preventing it from biting him. He struggled to keep it off of him, and Clementine nearly dropped AJ as she grabbed her gun off the floor. She pointed it toward the walker's head, and pulled the trigger.<p>

Her heart sank when she heard the solid _click_ of the gun. She was out of bullets.

Kenny continued to struggle against the walker's force, pushing it away with his left hand as his other held the creature's shoulder. He couldn't die like this. Not when he had Clementine and AJ in his life. He felt the monster slowly push against his force, its face inching closer to his with every second.

Suddenly, the weight of the walker disappeared as a large arm reached from behind, grabbing the creature from under its neck, and throwing it against the thick snow. Kenny fumbled, standing back on his feet as he watched Frank slam his large hunting knife into the creature's skull four times, blood droplets landing on the man's face and foggy glasses.

He slowly pulled his blade out of the corpse, and wiped it on his slacks. He sluggishly stood back up to face Kenny, breathing heavily.

"KENNY!" Clementine screamed as she ran into his arms. They hugged each other tightly. "It's alright, darling, it's okay." She could just cry. She was sure that Kenny was going to end up just like Lee, and that it would have been her fault.

The hug was broken when she felt Kenny grab her pistol out of her hands, and he quickly turned to Frank, pointing the gun at his forehead.

"Kenny, what are you doing?!" She yelled in shock.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THE KNIFE?" He yelled at Frank, ignoring Clementine.

"Kenny, stop!" She exclaimed, pulling at his coat. He didn't flinch.

Frank slowly raised his hands in surrender.  
>"Sorry, sorry! It was just on the table in the cabin, when I saw that you were all missing, I came to look for you...I wasn't gonna come out here empty-handed!"<p>

Kenny felt a little taken aback. "What?!" He turned his head toward Clementine. "You just left the knife on the table?!" He yelled, which hurt her slightly. She remembered when she had left this morning, she must have left the knife in the cabin. She remembered when she was in the bathroom all that time ago, when she left her pistol on the counter, and Omid died because of it...Guilt started to overwhelm her, and she felt weak.

"Look, you can have it back, I'm sorry, I swear I won't fuck up like this again, just give me another chance-"

"We've already given you a chance" Kenny muttered through his teeth.

"Kenny, he just saved your life!" Clementine yelled in anger, which, surprisingly, got his attention. He slightly turned his head, looking her in the eye. He hated how she could persuade him so easily just by looking at him. He thought for a second, before handing her the pistol. She took it out of his hands, feeling slightly ashamed at how stupid she had been.

Kenny faced Frank again, holding out his hand. Frank immediately handed him the knife, apologizing again, which Kenny didn't respond to.

"Get back to the cabin, Clementine." He quietly snarled, which made her blood run cold. She hesitantly obeyed, turning toward the Cabin and not looking back as she kept walking forward. She looked down at AJ, looking him in the eyes. She didn't know if she could believe what Kenny said earlier, but she kept telling herself that she could.

She had to.


	7. Chapter 7: Broken Shell

A/N: Hey everyone! I was wrong about the possibility of this chapter being late this week, so that's good news! Fair warning, this chapter's got some smut in it. Some people might hate it, some might love it, and others will think it's not enough, but you can't please everyone I guess :P.

Next chapter will have another decision at the end, so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks should happen! As always, I appreciate the reviews and love reading your comments!

**XxKandiCoolxX: Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoy it!  
><strong>

**TWDFan: I don't want to say anything, but there is some interesting things coming up pretty soon. Stay tuned!**

**Urbandude: You're awesome.  
><strong>

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><p>AJ's blanket felt cold and rough in her hands. As she reached the cabin, Clementine hesitantly looked behind her. She could barely make out the silhouettes of Kenny and Frank standing at the edge of the tree line. They were standing in front of each other, and she could hear hardly catch Kenny's voice echo softly through the open field.<p>

She slowly grabbed the doorknob, and pushed the door open. The contrast of the cold air outside and warmth of the cabin made her skin burn slightly. Closing the door behind her, she removed the jacket Bonnie had given her, and placed it on the coat hanger.

She placed AJ in his small makeshift crib. She wanted to be alone.

She took out the four 9mm bullets she had in her back pocket. Sliding the magazine out of the Glock 17, she began to load it with the rounds she found with Jane.

Pushing the magazine back inside the pistol, she pulled back the slide, and made sure there was a round in the chamber. She stared at the gun, the cold metal resting in her hands.

She felt a sudden guilt and anguish overwhelm her. If Frank hadn't been there, Kenny would have been bitten or killed by the walker-And that would have been her fault.

Her vision became blurry as tears developed in her eyes. She felt like a curse; everyone close to her always winds up dead. Kenny coming so close to being bitten only reminded her that anybody can be gone in an instant. The thought of losing anyone else was too much to handle.

Lee wanted her to stay strong, to keep moving forward. It's what he wanted. He sacrificed himself so she could live. But she hated the life she had been given. She didn't want to waste the life Lee had died to grant her, but it was too much.

She had reached her breaking point. Staying strong and hard for two years finally came back to her. All the people she's lost, all the death she's caused flooded her mind. She had pushed back the thoughts for so long, but now she was tired of fighting it.

She thought about how easy it would be to end all the pain and death. To stop the constant suffering she's faced with every day. Not having to wake up each morning wondering if she would survive the day, or worrying what she'd lose next.

She felt a tear drop from her eye, and slide down her cheek.

Feeling the tear slide across her face only made her even more emotional, and more tears began to fall. She cried softly. Through her heavy breaths, she quietly whispered to herself.

"..It's...it's not fair..." She heavily dropped to her knees, and held her face in her hands. She began to sob more forcefully, and felt too weak to hold herself together. She wished Lee never came to rescue her in Savannah. She wished he never sacrificed himself to let her live.

_She wished she could just die already. _

The thoughts brought even more weight on her, and she was now sobbing uncontrollably. Her hands were shaking as they held her face. She had a million thoughts running through her mind at once. On one side, she wanted everything to end, and on the other, she hated herself for being so weak.

She didn't even realize Kenny had come back inside until she heard his voice behind her.

"Clementine! Jesus, what happened?" She didn't take her hands off her face.

"Shit, are you okay?" Frank's voice appeared. She could barely hear the two over the sound of her own weeping. She felt Kenny slowly remove her wet hands from her face.  
>"Clem, what's wrong darlin'?"<p>

She wanted to answer him, but she couldn't speak over her own heavy breaths. Kenny lifted her, and brought her across the living room. He slowly sat her down on the couch, and kneeled in front of her, holding her hands in his. He looked her in the eye, and wiped her cheek with the back of his fingers.

"Clem, I wanna help you here, but you need'a tell me what's wrong."

She slowly took deep breaths, trying to regain her composure.

"I-I-" she gasped, still overwhelmed. "I-I'm tired of everything...I wish it would just end..."

She noticed Kenny's face change from concerned to shocked. Frank stood next to them both, crossing his arms. There was a grueling silence before Frank spoke.

"Did...something happen? Something that brought this on?"

Clementine simply looked over to face him, and shook her head no. Kenny was clearly still a little stunned, his mouth hung agape, and his eye was open tightly. He stuttered, trying to figure out what to say.

"You're...tired?" He asked, unsure of the words to use.

Clementine nodded at him. "I'm tired...of losing people...If...if Frank wasn't there, you would have died, because I was too stupid to..."

Kenny interrupted her. "No, no, no. Clem, that wasn't your fault, you hear? It happened real fast, let's just be glad nobody got hurt."

Clementine tried to accept what Kenny was telling her, but couldn't shake the guilt.  
>"I...I don't want to go through this every day anymore, Kenny...I'm sick of feeling less like myself every time I lose someone...I just...I want it to stop...I just want it to stop...I just..." She broke into tears again, and Kenny didn't know what to answer. She continued to sob quietly, tightening her grip on his hands. Nobody spoke for what felt like forever to her, and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.<p>

"We, uh...we all have those moments, Clementine." Frank finally broke the silence.

Clementine and Kenny both looked at him.

"You're so damn young...you've gotta keep your emotions all bottled up, keep your thoughts in your head, just to protect yourself. Losing people is never easy, but you have to learn to accept that it's become almost the norm...if you let death take a toll on your mind these days, you'll go nuts before you can see the sunrise. But eventually, at some point, could be anytime...It all just hits ya at once..."

Clementine noticed that as Frank spoke, Kenny's hands began to feel loose in hers.

"All the death, pain, suffering...everything you've gone through, and had to block out...it suddenly hits you when you don't see it coming, and knocks you down. I remember when I lost my girl."

He pulled out the photograph Clementine found on him out of his jacket pocket. It was the one of him and a young woman, around his age.

"I was in a dark place for a long time...but you can't let yourself get beaten down by it. We all get weak at times, but ya can't stay there forever. Eventually, you've gotta find the strength to pull yourself together, get yourself out of that cave, and move forward. For me, the rest of my group helped me through it. Took a long ass time, but I got myself out. I didn't let myself stay down. I can already see what you've got to keep you going."

Frank turned his head to Kenny. Clementine looked at Kenny, and a mild smile appeared on the edges of her lips.

"Anyway, point is...What you're going through won't last forever. It may seem shitty and dark, but you'll get out of it. Seems to me that as long as you got Kenneth here, you've got everything you need."

Clementine's temperament was surprisingly uplifted. She felt the lump in her throat slowly disappear, and her eyes weren't tearing anymore.

There was another silence, this time, less strenuous. Kenny was the one to speak this time.

"Hey, Frank, uh...not to be a jackass, but, you mind taking a hike? Give Clem and I a little time?"

Frank seemed to immediately comply, and grabbed his coat. He gave Clem a final hopeful glance before leaving the cabin.

As soon as the door shut, Kenny sat on the couch next to Clementine. After a few moments, she felt slightly bothered. "Aren't you going to say something?" she finally let slip.

He turned to look at her, staring into her golden eyes. He simply smiled.

Clementine's spirit was much higher, and she managed to smile back. The moment seemed to have passed, but she still wasn't sure what Kenny wanted.

"Sometimes, darlin'...we just need to let it out. Especially at your age, keeping it all trapped inside ya ain't doing you any good."  
>"Why are you avoiding me?" She asked sternly, which caught him off guard.<br>"It's because of the other night, isn't it?" She asked again, this time making him become red.

"Uh...Clem..." he thought of how to respond, but she didn't want any of it.  
>"Sooner or later you're going to have to decide if you're going to keep treating me like a kid or not." She interrupted, sitting closer to him.<p>

He seemed to become timid, but she kept herself courageous. She moved even closer to him, and placed a hand on his leg. She began to slowly run her hand closer toward him. She was stopped suddenly when his hand caught hers. She looked up to meet his eyes. They looked at each other for a few seconds, Kenny noticing her eager expression. She was clearly tired of playing games with him. Their eyes were fixed on each other, and Clementine slowly kept moving her hand higher up his leg, ignoring his grasp. He didn't have time to protest before her hand was on his crotch. She heard him gasp sharply as she began to grope the bulge in his pants, moving her hand across it slowly.

She didn't expect it, but Kenny turned himself completely to face her, sitting on one knee. He just about shoved her on the couch, lying her down. The sudden intensity of it made her even more eager, and the excitement began to move in. Kenny began to unbutton her jeans, and in one swift movement, removed them, along with her panties. He threw them onto the ground next to them. She spread out her legs, already predicting what was coming next, and she was right. Kenny's hand began to touch and rub her. Her eyes narrowed as his fingers made her body twitch and squirm. The sensation she couldn't define overwhelmed her. She heard herself moan as Kenny's free hand clenched hers. Her other hand digged into the couch, gripping it tightly. His finger slipped inside of her, causing her to wince slightly. The pleasure only seemed to be heightened as she felt his finger push inside of her repeatedly. Her moans became louder and less shy. "Mmhm...Kenny..." she muttered, gasping loudly as he pushed another finger inside of her. It hurt, but she couldn't stop smiling. She stared him directly in the eye, holding one of his hands, as his other continued to restlessly please her. The intensity and sensation of his fingers continuously pushing deeper inside of her made her feel like she was going to faint. Her eyes slowly began to roll upward as her moans became heavier. She let out a final, long groan as the peak of it hit her, the amazing sensation overwhelming her completely. She continued to make soft sounds after the breathtaking feeling had faded. Kenny slowly pulled his fingers out of her as she panted heavily, her face uncontrollably full of exhilaration. She couldn't even remember what she had been upset about, her mind was completely blown, she could hardly think straight.

Kenny let go of her hand and stood himself up, as Clementine lied paralyzed on the couch. She watched him as he picked up her panties and Jeans. He turned to face her, and smiled childishly.

"Can't handle being an adult?" He chuckled, teasing her. It didn't make her laugh.  
>She pushed herself off the couch, standing up to face him. She let out a deep breath. "...Thanks for that."<p>

"C'mon, get yourself dressed. Frank'll be back any minute."

She obeyed, taking her clothes out of his hands. She began to put her pants back on as he left the living room. She smiled to herself, proud to have finally broken Kenny's shell.


	8. Chapter 8: Lucky to be Alive

A/N: Damn, you guys must've really not liked that last chapter aha...only two reviews for that one. I tried not to take it negatively but I think it may have bothered me subconsciously. I really hate to address it since you guys have been so amazingly supportive so far, but remember that constructive criticism and any sort of reviews or comments always help out a lot!

On another note, this chapter will have a decision at the end. Same idea as last time; once you've read the chapter, leave a comment voting what decision you think Clementine should make! Thanks for reading, everyone!

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><p>Clementine slowly walked into the dining room to see Kenny. He was holding AJ in his arms when he turned to face her. He noticed she seemed slightly dazed. She wasn't wearing her hat, which revealed her short, frizzy hair, which seemed to be in a bit of a mess. Kenny snickered lightly before asking her; "Feeling any better?". She simply nodded and answered "Uh-huh" with an uncontainable smile on her face.<p>

She approached the dining room table, and sat on the large wooden chair. Kenny pulled up a chair next to her, and she could tell he was eager to speak with her.

"Listen, Clem...When I spoke to that Frank guy, back in the woods, I told him that I wasn't going to make this call...He knew he fucked up, I could see that. But I didn't tell him he was hitting th' road. I wanted to, I really, really did. But I didn't, Clementine. I thought about you, and what you had told me. I knew I needed to start changing, so I didn't make that call."

Clementine was glad to hear that. She expected that Kenny would have let his anger get the better of him, and he would have simply told Frank to never come back. But he didn't, for her.

"Anyway...point is; If we really _are_ keeping this crackpot around, we need to keep an eye out for 'im. That little fuck-up back there was enough to make me want to strangle the guy, but we'll give him another chance, because I know that's what you want. But I'm telling you now, If I see anything I don't like, he's out of here, no questions asked. I'm sure you get why."

Clementine nodded, and Kenny shifted his attention to the front door.

"I'm taking him out when he gets back. Gonna go see if we can catch som'thin for dinner."

Clementine seemed uneasy. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" She asked him, the concern present in her voice.

"Yeah, It'll gimme a chance to check the guy out, see what he's really like. 'Sides, I've got my gun, and his knife. Ain't much he can do, if he tries anything."

She understood why he wanted to be alone with Frank, but it didn't help her ease her anxiety. Not only did she hate the idea of Kenny being separated from her, but she didn't know if she trusted Frank just yet.

"It'll be fine, Clem." He reassured her.

Clementine lowered her head, and stared at the hard wood floor.  
>"I'm...sorry." She muttered.<p>

"Sorry? What for?"

"For leaving the knife on the table...it was stupid. I'm sorry, Kenny."

He could see that she was contrite, and it made him feel the same way.  
>"No, darlin', don't be. I shouldn't have yelled at ya before, I'm sure that didn't help much. Guess we're both feeling pretty guilty, huh?"<p>

"I guess so." She smiled lightly, placing her hat back onto her head.

Their conversation was interrupted when the door of the cabin flew open, sending in a small gust of cold wind. Clementine was startled slightly, and felt a light relief when Frank closed the door behind him. She watched him remove the black balaclava from his head, and place his glasses back onto his face.

"I almost didn't recognize ya . Where'd you find the ski mask?" Kenny asked.

"It was in that closet down the hall. Just about the only useful thing in there."

Kenny turned his head to face the hallway Frank was pointing at. "That's odd. Could'a sworn the thing was empty, 'cept for a few boxes of junk."

Frank shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, it was pretty much empty, like I said. It was tucked away at the back, you probably missed it."

Frank turned and looked at Clem, who seemed to be in a brighter mood now. "Hey, Clementine, you...feeling a little less down now?" he asked tenderly.

She looked over at Kenny, a teasing smile on her lips, and an eyebrow raised. "I sure am" she commented.

Kenny apprehensively spoke up. "We, uh, had a little talk. She's feeling better now, thanks. Just had a little moment there, I guess."

Frank looked back up at Kenny, slightly deadpan. "Well, I'm real glad to hear that. What's the plan for today, Kenneth?"

Kenny stood out of the chair, and pulled out his pistol. "You and me're gonna try and catch some dinner, that's the plan."

Clementine noticed Frank become enthusiastic. "Sounds good to me. We heading out right now?"

Kenny turned to Clementine, and smiled at her. "Yeah, we are. Clementine'll stay and keep AJ and the place safe."

Clementine wanted to smile back, but felt too troubled. "Are you sure, Kenny?" She asked him, her eyebrows raised. Kenny simply placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her an affirming smile. He handed AJ to her, and signalled Frank to head outside.

Clementine watched in slight angst as the two men left the cabin, leaving her alone with AJ.

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><p>It was almost dark out when Kenny and Frank entered the cabin. Clementine sighed in peace of mind that Kenny was finally back. She ran up to him with intent of grabbing him in a hug, but stopped when she reached him. She noticed he was holding something behind his back.<p>

"You ain't gonna believe this one, Clem." He said, smiling. He pulled from behind his back a white owl. Clementine seemed a little bit taken by surprise. "How did you catch that?"

Kenny turned his head to look at Frank. "Turns out Francis here is a hell of a sharpshooter. Just when we got to thinkin' we should just head back, he spotted the thing and took the shot before I even noticed him move."

Clementine raised her eyebrows, slightly baffled. "You let him use your gun?"

Kenny understood her being upset. "I had my eye on him, Clem. 'Sides, if he wanted me dead, he wouldnt'a saved my ass from that walker this morning."

Clementine cocked her eyebrow, and crossed her arms. "And the sound?"

Frank spoke up. "Yeah, not the brightest thing I've done...shooting before thinking isn't really something I do often, but when I saw that owl just sitting perfectly still in that tree, I couldn't wait to think about it, I just had to take the shot."

Clementine still felt irritated. How could Kenny do something so risky? Especially after what happened this morning?

"Clem, darlin', don't be upset. I'm gonna go fix up this bird, I'll call you two when it's cleaned."

Kenny walked into the kitchen, just out of view. Clementine and Frank stood in the hallway, and Frank hastily rubbed his neck. "Clementine, do you...mind if we talk?" He asked, pointing toward the couch. She was skeptical, but curious. She led him to the soft brown couch, and they sat facing each other. He seemed to be unsure of what to say.

"Y'know, I was studying to become a psychiatrist before all this." He finally said.

Clementine wasn't exactly interested, but played along. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Had just finished my five years of medical practice and earned my doctorate. Was in my first year of studying therapy when everything went to shit."

Clementine was a little bit confused, but tried to understand what he was leading to.

"I, uh...never got too far. But I know enough to be helpful. Sometimes, Clementine, having someone to talk to can help a hell of a lot. Shit, even...or, rather, _especially _ at your age, letting out your thoughts can be a significant relief. Anyway, what I'm trying to say, I guess, is that if you ever need someone to talk to, or just...get something off your chest, I'm a great listener."

Clementine cocked an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this? What do you want to know?"

He seemed a little surprised by her response. "What?"

She was blunt. "You obviously want me to tell you something, Frank. What is it?"

He waved his hand in repudiation. "No, no, Clementine. I'm not trying to make you say anything you don't want to. It's just an open offer, if you ever need someone to speak with."

Clementine thought for a second, and looked back at him. His sky blue eyes were covered by his foggy glasses, and he had small droplets of walker blood on his stubble of a goatee.

"That's...nice of you, Frank, but... It's like you said..." She turned her head to observe Kenny in the kitchen. "As long as I've got Kenny, I think I have everything I need." She said, a small smile on her lips.

"That's fair, Clem. Glad to hear it." He said, removing his glasses and wiping them on his shirt.

Kenny called them from inside the kitchen. "You two gonna be chattin' away all night, or do you plan on having dinner?" He joked.

"Coming!" Clem replied, jumping off the couch.

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><p>Dinner was pretty quiet, and that made Clementine a little uncomfortable. Frank seemed to be picking at his food, and Kenny didn't look to be paying attention to either of them. She wanted to break the silence.<p>

"Did...Frank tell you he was a doctor?" She asked Kenny, lightly dropping her fork against the plate.

"Oh yeah?" Kenny replied, looking up from his plate to Frank, who was sitting at the other end of the short table.

"Yup. Just got my PhD before this all started. Feels so irrelevant now." He looked back down at his plate, spreading the bits of meat with his fork.

Kenny shrugged and put his fork down. He stood up, and brought his dishes into the sink. He stood over the counter, taking a breath before speaking.

"Would you mind...taking a look at Clementine?" He asked, a bit uneasy of what he was asking. Clementine looked over at Kenny, who was facing away from her. She wanted to ask him why he would ask that, but Frank spoke first.  
>"You mean, the bullet wound in her shoulder? I saw it before. Didn't point it out though, figured it might just make one of you feel even more dicey about me. I'll see what I can do." Clementine wanted to protest, but Kenny had already made up his mind, and that was clear. Kenny walked toward her, and motioned her to stand. She did, and turned to face Frank, who knelt down to her level.<p>

"Take off your sweater for me, Clem." She felt uneasy, but still complied. She unzipped the blue jacket and let it fall on the floor. "The shirt too, Clementine." Frank said, which made her blood run cold. It took her by surprise.

"Hey now-" Kenny interrupted.

"I'm trying to help out here, Kenneth. I can't see the wound through her shirt."

"Clementine, you don't have to do that if you don't feel-"

"It's okay, Kenny." She nodded to him.

Kenny was starting to regret that he asked. She removed her shirt, and held it in her hands. Frank placed his hand on the edge of her wound. It made her wince, and she sucked in air through her teeth tightly.

"I'm sorry, Clem, but it might hurt a little."

He observed the bullet wound, and Clementine shivered at the cold touch of his fingers on her shoulder.

"Jesus, you got real lucky, that's about all I can say." He said, standing up.

Kenny seemed irate. "Lucky? I'm sorry, how the FUCK is that what you call lucky?"

Frank clearly didn't appreciate Kenny's tone. "I mean she's lucky to be alive. She was _this_ close to having a bone shattered by the bullet, and it's a goddamn miracle her subclavian artery wasn't hit. That would have been a death sentence, no question. And, of course, the bullet went all the way through. It could have been a lot worse. You can put your clothes back on, Clementine."

With his approval, she hastily put her shirt back on.

"Now, there's not much I can do for the wound itself. We'll need clean bandages, disinfectant, ice, some acetaminophen would help a lot..."

Kenny lowered his eyebrows. "And where do expect we find all that?"

Frank didn't answer him. "I'm not_ done_, Kenny. Your eye is going to need fixing too if you don't want it to get infected. We'll need some ointments, antibiotic eye drops, anti-inflammatories...I don't suppose those bags you got from Wellington had much of those, did they?"

Kenny shook his head.

Clementine held AJ in her arms, and Frank turned to look at him.

"And, baby formula? How are you doing on that? Did you make sure those folks gave you extra?"

Kenny felt like he was being criticized. "You think I'm not able to protect them, Frank? Is that your problem?"

"No, Kenny. I didn't say that. I just need to know that you understand why I'm going to Wellington."

Clementine and Kenny felt a little bit surprised. "What?" Clementine asked, raising an eyebrow.

Frank turned his head to Clementine. "It makes sense, doesn't it? If they have enough supplies to give to strangers, and they give them to anyone who stops by, I'll go over there tomorrow, and ask to be let in. They'll turn me away and give me some supplies, I'll ask for a few extra little things if they can spare them, like the things for you and Kenny's wounds, and baby formula. All I need is a direction, and I can find the way. You said it wasn't more than a few miles, right?" He asked, turning to face Kenny.

Kenny didn't answer him. "You're not going anywhere alone, Francis."

Frank scoffed. "You're kidding, right? Look, I said I was going to throw my weight around, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to be a liability here."

Kenny spoke softly. "We're not letting you leave on some mission by yourself."

Frank sighed, and covered his face with his palm. "How do you not trust me? I understand your cautiousness, but I don't see much other choice here. You and Clementine _both_ need those supplies, and the only place in the state we'll find any is in Wellington."

Clementine felt the tension rising, and didn't want this to get aggressive. "What...what if you and Kenny both went?"

"No, they might recognize him. I doubt they would let the man leave with three full bags of supplies." Frank responded.

"Frank, I'm not advocating anything here. But you can't seriously be asking us to let you go into the middle of fucking nowhere, and risking you coming back with twenty of your friends." Kenny said, his fists clenched.

Frank was clearly frustrated, he sighed heavily at Kenny's stubbornness. "You said it yourself, man; If I really wanted you dead, I wouldn't have saved you from that roamer this morning. I don't see what other choice we have, if you're really planning on holding out here for the next few months, we need those supplies. You trust me, don't you, Clementine?"

Frank and Kenny stood staring at each other, both were visibly aggravated. Clementine stood in the middle of them both. She knew she was the swing vote, and she hated it.

**1. Let Frank go to Wellington Alone**

**2. Let Frank go to Wellington with Kenny**

**3. Tell them to just look somewhere else for supplies**


	9. Chapter 9: We take care of each other

A/N: SMUT WARNING! The end of this chapter has some pretty heavy smut so if that's not your thing, that's your warning! I'd recommend reading the chapter regardless, but if smut's not your thing, you can skip the end. The results for the decision last chapter were;

a.9 votes  
>b.0 votes<br>c.1 vote

So, of course, Frank's heading to Wellington! Thanks so much for reading and all your support.

**Ashley K : Those are all very interesting theories, I can't say if any of them are true or not, but there are some big things building, that's for sure! **

**xXCheriValentineXx: Thank you for the support! And, thank you for voting :**)

**Urbandude: This review made my day! Now, comparing me to telltale's writers is a huge stretch if you ask me, but I really do appreciate your support and kind words! I'm glad you enjoy this FF! Your reviews are what I look forward to most when writing these chapters now, so no, you won't annoy me with them at all! Thanks for reading! **

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><p>Clementine stood in between Frank and Kenny, holding AJ in her arms. Both men were visibly aggravated, and she needed to step in before things got out of hand. She had already made up her mind. She took a step forward.<p>

"Frank should go. We need those supplies."

Frank looked over at her, surprised that she took his side. Before he could thank her for trusting him, Kenny raised his voice.

"What?! Th' hell are you thinking?" He yelled, turning his head to face her. He was clearly irate, his eye was open wide, and he was grinding his teeth roughly.

Frank stood up for her. "It's not just your decision to make, Kenny."

As soon as he said this, Clementine became apprehensive. She knew that would only further infuriate Kenny, and she was right. He clenched his fists tightly, and seemed even more outraged than before.

"Who the **fuck **are you to say that? We met just yesterday, I don't know the first fuckin' thing about you. You expect me to let you walk outta here and come back with a gang of rapists and murderers?"

Clementine could see that this was only getting more heated. She stood closer in between the two, and turned to face Kenny.  
>"Kenny, calm down. We don't have any other choice, we <em>need<em> those supplies..."

He stared her in the eye, and gave her one of the most bitter sneers she'd seen on him. He placed his hands on his hips and stared at the floor, letting out a heavy, exasperated sigh. Clementine felt like he was annoyed with her. It completely crushed her.

There was a silence for a few moments, before Frank softly spoke.

"If we're going to work as a group, you need to start trusting me, Kenny. From the start, I knew there were going to be some issues with that...I figured we could just work it out over time. I just didn't expect your faith in me to be tested so damn early, and I understand how difficult it must be to believe me here. But this needs to be done, it could be the difference of life and death for both of you, AJ too."

Kenny simply rubbed his forehead, staring at the ground. He groaned lightly.

Frank paused for a second. "I'll leave first thing in the morning. Again, I'm sorry to put you both through this, but it really _is_ necessary. I'll give you two some space."  
>He walked out of the kitchen, and almost as soon as he did, Kenny started to pace back and forth. Clementine watched him anxiously. He wasn't looking at her. After a few moments, she finally decided to speak up.<p>

"I just don't see what other choice we-"

He interrupted her. "Great fuckin' plan we got here." He turned to face her. "Clem, what the hell are you thinkin? The guy ain't trustworthy."

She didn't appreciate his stubbornness. "Kenny, he knows what he's doing. **I** trust him. Back in the woods, when he had your gun, why do you think he didn't shoot you? If he wanted you dead, you'd already be dead..."

Kenny laughed sarcastically, and threw his hands in the air. "Oh, that's real fuckin' comforting. He could'a killed me if he felt like it, but didn't. I got an idea, let's leave a sign out welcoming any psycho fucks to come rob and murder us. How's that sound?"

Clementine lowered her head.

There was a brief pause. Kenny let out a loud sigh. "...Goddamnit." He whispered, sitting back down at the table. He held his forehead in the palm of his hand.

She stared at him for a few seconds. She tried to break the tension.

"Are we...staying up again tonight?" She asked softly.

He raised his head slowly.

"Why should we? I thought you and Frank were best pals? Thought you 'trusted him'?" He asked maliciously. Clementine hung her head in anguish. She was hurt that he was talking to her like this.

He turned his head away from her and sighed, and there was a long silence.

"Sorry, Clem. I'm being a real piece a shit. I shouldn't be puttin' this on you, you're only trying to help. I'm sorry, sweetheart." There's another small silence. "You can get into bed, Clem. I'm staying up tonight, yeah."

Normally, she would refuse, and stay up with him, but she felt too exhausted to protest. She nodded slowly, still slightly upset.  
>"Here, I'll take Junior." He said, reaching his arms out. She handed AJ to him. Kenny looked down at AJ, who was peacefully asleep in his arms. He smiled. "How can you sleep with all this ruckus, buddy?"<p>

He looked up at Clementine. She seemed melancholic, and he felt responsible. "C'mere" He said, and she threw her arms around him, holding him in a tight hug.

"It's alright, Darlin. Everything'll be ok." He reassured her. She slowly let go of him, and caught the faint smile he gave her. She smiled back softly.

* * *

><p>She woke up peacefully to Kenny's muffled voice. Throwing the covers off of her, she started rubbing her eyes. She jumped out of the squeaky bed and drowsily made her way to the hallway. As she got closer to the living room, she heard Frank's voice as well.<p>

She entered the living room, and spotted Kenny and Frank standing in front of each other in the doorway of the cabin. Frank was wearing his thick leather jacket, and black balaclava over his face. He seemed like he was getting ready to leave.

"So, you need anything else before you head out?" Kenny asked.

"Just my knife, then I'll be good."

Kenny hesitated for a moment. He tentatively pulled the folded hunting knife out of his green jacket's pocket, and dropped it in Frank's hand.

Frank sighed, and stared at the floor.

He looked back up at Kenny.

"Look, Ken. I **promise** that you and Clementine are safe. I'm trying to pull some trick here, I'm just being conscientious. Obviously, there's nothing I can say that'll reassure you. I just wanted to put it on record, I guess."

Kenny nodded slowly, not looking him in the eyes.

"Ok...alright. I should be back before it gets dark. If, by chance, I don't happen to make it back...just make sure you take good care of that girl, okay?"

Kenny looked at him, slightly puzzled.

"I mean, obviously, you know how to take care of her. Shit, she knows how to take care of you, it seems. But there's more to survival than just staying alive. Even though she may seem mature, and hardened, you need to remember that no matter what, she's still only a child, Kenny...and, sometimes, even though it may not seem ideal, it's best to treat her like one."

Kenny was clearly not sure of what Frank was trying to address, but agreed anyway.  
>"I will, Frank. Now...you should, uh...you should get going."<p>

Frank nodded, before slowly opening the door to the cabin. As he stepped out onto the snowy yard, Kenny stood watching at the door. Frank began walking in the direction Kenny had told him. He continued to watch until Frank was past the tree line, out of his sight.

"Frank's gone?" Clementine asked, approaching Kenny at the door.  
>"Clem? How long have you been up?" He ignored her question, closing the cabin door.<p>

"Not long..." There was a brief silence.

"Are you annoyed with me, Kenny?" She asked sternly. He seemed taken aback.

"What? No, of course not, would you think that?"

She looked away. "I just...feel like you're tired of me..."

He knelt to her level. "Clem, you're everything to me, you understand that? Ain't nothin in this world more important. I've known ya since you were eight, Clem, and we've been through so much. No, darlin'. I'm not tired of you. You're the only family I've got left."

She seemed uplifted.

"I'm sorry if it seems that way sometimes, Clem...there's just...a lot going on, and sometimes I let it get the better of me...so I take it out on whoever's near...I'm sorry if I hurt you, Clem."

"So...Frank's gone?" She asked, suddenly seeming more lively.

He seemed a little confused at her change in tone. "Uh, yeah, he's gone. Should be back before nightfall, and if not..."

She interrupted him by grabbing his hand. She looked him straight in the eye, before smiling.

He stood back up. "Uh, Clem..."

She didn't listen to what he was saying. She held his hand tightly and led him into the living room.

She sat on the couch, and stood him in front of her. He could already tell what she was doing.  
>"Clem...c'mon now..."<p>

He was interrupted when her hand landed on his crotch. He sucked air in sharply through his teeth.

She began to run her hand along his bulge, playing with it like a toy. It began to stiffen under her hand. She heard him make soft sounds through his lips. As she reached out to take off his pants, his hand blocked her. She looked up at him, annoyed.  
>He wanted to tell her not to do this, he knew how wrong it was. But the look on her face told him she wasn't taking no for an answer.<p>

He sighed heavily. "Alright, Clem. You win." He said, moving his hands out of the way. He saw her face light up.

She began to undo his belt, which took her a few tries. When she finally got it off, she pulled his pants down around his ankles. The bulge seemed even bigger now in his boxers. She began to grope it. He moaned under his breath as she continued to rub slowly. After a few moments, she became impatient, yanking his underwear down as well. The object she was just rubbing sprung into the air, and she wrapped her hand around it. Kenny moaned softly at the sensation of her small hand.

She did like she did a few nights ago; she began pumping her hand up and down his shaft. She kept pumping faster and faster, Kenny's soft moans giving her confidence that she was doing it properly. As she did this, she slowly took off her baseball cap.

She stopped pumping, and pointed the thing down at her mouth, holding it from the bottom. She repeated Kenny's words in her head. "Suck it."

She opened her mouth, and wrapped her lips around the head of it. She heard him breathe heavily. She began to suck, while slowly bobbing her head up and down the tip of it. Kenny couldn't think straight-he was lost in the moment, and the amazing sensation she was giving him. She continued to suck as she began to move further down, bringing more of it into her mouth. She pushed further down than she had last time, which made her feel proud. Kenny's moans became drowned out by her own as she started to move her head faster and faster.

Her mouth began to feel wet, which made it easier for her to slide up and down. Her own saliva started dripping. It was so messy; she loved it. The familiar sloshing sound of the thing in her mouth only made it feel even more intense.

She felt Kenny's hand grab the back of her head, pushing her deeper than she already was. She wasn't sure what he was doing. She looked up at him, looking him in the eye as he pushed her further down. She felt it hit the back of her throat, and when she looked back down, she realized she had taken all of him into her mouth. She slowly pulled herself back up, taking a deep breath as she pulled her mouth off of him. She wrapped her hand back around his shaft, now wet from her mouth, and began pumping even faster than before.

He looked down at her. She was breathing just as heavily as he was. Her mouth and lips were wet, and formed a smug smile. She had desire on her face, and lust in her eyes.

He was caught off-guard when she threw her warm mouth back onto him, sliding all the way down his shaft. Closing her eyes, she began quickly sliding across his entire length, and swirled her tongue around it as it was in her mouth. She placed her hands high on his thighs, and Kenny's hands landed on top of hers. She looked him in the eye as she continued sucking and bobbing her head. He seemed completely hypnotised, which only gave her more confidence. She noticed him close his eye, and grab the back of her head.

"Clem...I...I'm cu-..." She knew what was coming next. She moved her back slightly, and placed her hands on his shaft. She began stroking it as it was in her mouth, but she didn't move her head. She closed her eyes, and kept sucking. After a few seconds, he started squirting into her mouth. The first load felt was so huge, it almost filled her mouth completely. After each spurt into her mouth, she swallowed heavily. After the fourth one, she lost count, it felt like it would never end. It felt warm and heavy. He shot into her mouth a few more times, grunting loudly each time. She swallowed what was left of it.

She slowly took her hands and mouth off of him, breathing and panting heavily. Kenny looked completely dazed. He seemed to snap back to reality when he looked down at her.

"Clem! Jesus, sorry!"

She wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket. "What for?" she asked, smiling up at him.

He still seemed completely disoriented and stunned. She giggled lightly. "What's the matter? _Can't handle being an adult_?" She imitated him.

He smiled at her as he pulled his pants back up, still shocked at what just happened.

He sat down next to her. "I, uh...wow, I needed that." He said, looking at her.

"I knew you did. We take care of each other, right?" She replied, smiling.


	10. Chapter 10: No better medicine

A/N: I'll be honest, I wasn't very satisfied with that last chapter. Something about it just didn't feel 100%. Ah well, I really do feel like I put more effort into this one. Note that this chapter may seem slow, but that doesn't mean the story isn't still building! A little character development never hurt anybody :) May be slightly confusing as it switches narratives momentarily, but that shouldn't be an issue, I hope. There's a small decision at the end of the chapter, so don't forget to vote! As always, thank you so very much for reading, and for your continued support and reviews :)

xXCheriValentineXx: I definitely would like more of those moments to start like that, (kind of like in chapter 4) but it can be difficult for Kenny to initiate them without it seeming OOC. I'll try to work on that for the next time, though :)

Ryan: Thank you for your support! Hopefully this chapter will "light up" your weekend :P

Trevr: I don't plan on ending this series anytime before it wraps up at all ends, so no worries! As for your question, to put it simply...yes. ;)_Eventually. _

Urbandude: Can't say much about that little theory you pointed out, but I really love your continued support! Thanks for reading :)

* * *

><p>Clementine wiped her mouth gently with her sleeve. She felt proud of herself. Sitting next to her was Kenny, who seemed a bit stunned. It made her want to giggle. He looked over at her, and immediately she noticed the uneasiness that appeared on his face.<p>

"Jesus, Clem! You're bleedin'!"

She looked over at her left shoulder. He was right, her shirt was soaked in her own blood. Her bullet wound had opened again. She didn't have time to react before Kenny lifted her shirt over her head. He quickly threw off his green jacket and pressed it against her wound.

She winced in pain as he applied pressure to the bullet hole. "I know, I know darlin'...just hold still...It'll be over soon." He reassured her, not taking his eye off of her injury.

She closed her eyes and counted in her head, trying to distract herself from the pain. Kenny kept pushing against it so roughly, it just made it hurt even more, she thought to herself. It kept sending huge shocks of pain up her shoulder, she felt like she could pass out from the agony.

"Okay...Alright, that should just about do it...Jesus, Clem...I'm sorry about that."

She slowly opened her eyes to look at him, and noticed he was staring at her like he was shocked, but she didn't understand why.

"Fucking hell, Clementine, you're as pale as a damn ghost!" He said, standing up and unfolding his jacket that was now stained in her blood.

She looked down at her hands, and he was right. She seemed paler than when she did after falling in the river trying to save Luke.

"You need to eat somethin'. Gimme a second." He said, as he jogged toward the kitchen. "I'm not hungry." She remarked, despite knowing that Kenny wouldn't take no for an answer. He completely ignored what she had said as he rushed back to her with a can of sliced peaches and a small plastic spoon. He handed her the can of food hastily. She didn't dispute taking a whole can for herself; she knew she needed it after losing all that blood. She promptly began eating the peaches, Kenny seemed relieved as he crossed his arms and took a breath.

"Sorry, Clem. That was stupid of me. I shouldnt'a let you-"

Her mouth was full, so she simply put her hand up, motioning him to stop talking. She didn't want him to start regretting what she had done, she felt proud of herself for it.

Kenny sighed lightly, and turned his head away from her.

"Anyway...it'll be alright once Frank gets back...if he does. We really need those supplies, Clementine. You were right to let him go. God, I hope he makes it back...I dunno what we're gonna do otherwise."

She swallowed her mouthful of food. "You think he'll be able to get there?"

Kenny seemed a little skeptical, but swiftly tried to reassure her. "He's been on his own before, Clem, he's made it this far. Yeah, I think he'll be able."

She took a second to think before going back to her food. Kenny began pacing lightly. "He'll be back before it gets dark...If not...well, we're gonna have to start thinkin' about what our best strategy is."

She had finished the peaches, and placed the empty can on the floor in front of her. She began putting her shirt back on, her shoulder aching with every movement. Kenny took the empty can and brought it into the kitchen, and Clementine stood up off the couch. She walked toward the large window that was in the living room, and stared at the tree line that was only a few yards from the cabin. She couldn't help but feel distressed at the fear that Frank might not come back.

* * *

><p>He languidly climbed up the short hill. He could see the thick smoke that he had followed for about half a mile. It must have come from just ahead, he thought to himself.<p>

Finally reaching the top of the hill, he took a startled breath as he stared in awe at the fortress ahead of him. It was huge; the walls must have been over thirty feet tall. He started walking forward, and got taken aback slightly when a bullet flew into the snow just a few feet ahead of him.

"That's far enough." A female voice spoke, through what sounded like a megaphone. He couldn't see anyone, either because of how far he was, or because he didn't have his glasses on.

"Drop your weapons." The voice commanded, and he obeyed, slowly taking his hunting knife out of his jacket pocket and throwing it on the snow beside him.

"Approach the gate."

He walked toward the gate, staring in astonishment at the immense stronghold. He saw a woman walk on the catwalk above the gate, and spoke something he couldn't hear to somebody over a walkie-talkie. He stopped walking as he reached the gate, now getting a good view of the woman. She seemed to be in her late twenties. She had her brown hair done in a ponytail, and wore a pair of white earmuffs on her head.

"Hello there." She said, looking down at Frank.

"Hey. Hell of a place you've got here." He replied, looking up at her. He felt so tiny staring up at the woman who was towering above him. He removed the ski mask from his face. "Sorry, how rude of me." He joked, placing his glasses back on his face. "This is Wellington, right?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, we get called that a lot. I'm Edith."

"My name's Frank. Nice to meet you."

She looked at him dubiously. "You're out here by yourself?" He hesitated slightly. "I was part of a larger group... lost most of them looking for this place. But...I found a cabin, not too far from here. My brother and I are staying there, I came out looking for supplies. I stumbled here by accident."

She seemed slightly deadpan. "I'm real sorry to hear about your group."

There was a short silence. "So...are you going to let me in, or do I have to sing for you?" He asked jokingly.

She looked away and sighed. He knew what was coming, yet he tried to act unsure of what was happening. "What's up?" He asked.

"Unfortunately, our community isn't accepting new members. We're over capacity, and we can't keep bringing more people in. I'm sorry."

He tried his best to seem despondent. "No...no..." he muttered loudly under his breath, looking away from the woman.

"Things might change in a few months..." She tried to console him.

"Please...we're not going to make it out here..." He pleaded, looking back at the woman.

She reached to her side and pulled out a large green duffel bag. He recognized it; it was the same as the ones Kenny and Clementine had.

"What's that?" He asked, pretending to genuinely be clueless.

"Some supplies...food, water, a first aid kit..." She said, about to toss it over to him.

"Wait!" He held his hand in the air, motioning her not to drop the bag. She was clearly puzzled, but accepted, pulling the heavy bag back over the railing.

"If you're going to give me supplies...I need a few...special things. You can keep the food and water...but, my brother, you see...he's in real bad shape. He needs medical care, and I just..don't have the supplies I need to help him. Please...I just...need a few specific things..."

She didn't answer, but she was clearly listening to him.

"Could you...see if you have a few extra medical supplies?"

She took a breath. "What do you need?"

He stuttered for a second. "Nothing too crazy... just some acetaminophen, or ibuprofen...hell, any analgesic, as long as it eases the pain. He's suffering..."

She seemed to consider it for a second. "I'll see what I can do." She said positively, turning to leave the catwalk.

"I'm, uh...not done."

She turned back to face him, a little anxious. He took a confident breath before speaking.

"I'll be honest, I need a bit more than just painkillers, Edith. I'll need a strong antiseptic, Hydrogen peroxide would work well. Besides that, I need some heat pads as well. To top it all off, I'm going to need ointments, antibiotic eye drops, and anti-inflammatories. I hope I'm not asking for too much here."

She seemed to be aghast. "You...you're really asking for a lot there, Frank. I'm sorry, I don't think I can help you."

He lowered his head, his eyes staying locked with hers. His face turned into a daunting glare. He sneered lightly.

"I lost...**everything**...to get here. I lost the only people I knew as friends. I lost my wife. I lost whatever piece of humanity I had left just trying to stay alive. And now...after everything I did to get here...you're just going to turn me away and let my brother die? He's all I have left in this world. I lost **everything **to make it this far, Edith. And now, I've finally made it...made it the to the _haven_ I lost everything to find. And you're just going to send me on my way empty handed?"

She looked away, not staring him in the eye. She was clearly filled with guilt; his tactic worked.

"I'll...I'll try to get as much as I can for you, Frank. But I can't promise we'll have everything you need." She said, leaving the catwalk. As she entered the door to her left, Frank resisted the urge to throw his hands in the air in celebration.

He was waiting outside for about a minute, and after a while he became a little pessimistic that he would be getting the supplies he needed for Clementine and Kenny.

Suddenly, the metal door creaked open as Edith showed back up above the gate. She was carrying a black duffel bag this time. She lifted it over the railing, dropping it heavily against the snow. His face lit up with glee. "Is that-"

She answered him before he even finished his question. "Painkillers, Hydrogen peroxide, ointment, antibiotic eye drops, anti-inflammatories, a heat pad, and a regular first aid kit. That's everything you needed, right? Because I'm going to get in a lot of shit if anyone finds out-"

He interrupted her. "Thank you! Oh man, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this is going to help. You're very kind."

A light smile formed on her lips. "Don't mention it. There's no food or water in there, all the meds kinda replaced them."

He picked up the heavy bag in his right hand. "I'm fine with catching my own food, and I have water. But...If it's not too much to ask... there is _one _last thing I need."

"Really?" She sighed. "What is it?"

He cleared his throat. "I actually have one other person to look after...my wife...she died shortly after giving birth to our son. He's only a couple of months old, and baby formula is real hard to come by..." He said, running his hand across his face, his thick stubble grazing his fingers.

A look of bewilderment appeared on her face. "What? You have a baby? Where is he?" She asked anxiously.

"With my brother...I couldn't bring the little guy out this far in the woods. Please..."

She sighed out of exasperation. She paused for a few moments before rolling her eyes. "Well, I'm already screwed for giving you those meds, so I guess it wouldn't hurt. Give me another minute."

She left again, this time only taking a few seconds.

"Here" She said, throwing a container of baby formula down to him. He caught it with his left hand. Before he could thank her, she spoke.

"Now, you be safe out there, and good luck with your brother and child. Check back in a few months, we might be accepting new people then."

He nodded to her, and she smiled faintly. He threw the formula into the duffel bag, and took off his glasses. He reached into his leather jacket's pocket and pulled out his balaclava, pulling it over his head and onto his face. He turned around, and headed back to the cabin.

* * *

><p>Twisting the doorknob, he pushed against the large wooden door with his shoulder. He felt a sudden relief when he saw Clementine and Kenny sitting at the dining room table. The two seemed to have been playing a game of cards.<p>

"Frank!" Clementine's soft voice called out, as he closed the door behind him. Kenny and Clementine both jumped out of their seats.

"Well, I'll be damned." Kenny said, visibly impressed. Clementine ran toward him as he removed his boots.

"Did you get the things we needed?" she asked, and he smiled in response. "Check for yourselves" he said, walking toward the dining room. He dropped the black duffel bag on the table. He hastily unzipped it and pulled it open.

"Holy fuck, Francis...thank you." Kenny said, staring in awe at the bag full of medical supplies.

"Don't even bother thanking me, either of you. I was just being conscientious. Tonight, we're fixing both of you up. I don't want to hear any whining, either."

Clementine and Kenny both looked over at each other. They were both visibly optimistic.

"I didn't forget about AJ, don't worry." Frank said, pulling out the large plastic container of baby formula.

"Jesus Christ, that's enough for a month." Kenny said, turning his head to Frank.

"If we're holding out here until Wellington opens its arms to us, then we're going to need to make it last. But yeah, it is a fuckton, I'll agree on that."

Kenny chuckled and punched Frank lightly in the arm. "You crazy sum'bitch, to think I didn't trust lettin' you leave. Thank you, Frank."

Frank smiled. "I said no thank yous, but...you're welcome. We're a group now, we have to look out for each other."

* * *

><p>"Alright...who wants to go first?" Frank asked, walking into the living room with his bag of medical supplies. As expected, Kenny made sure that Clementine would get taken care before himself.<p>

"Clem, you're up first." Kenny said, standing up from the couch. He took AJ out of her arms, and stood aside so Frank could stand in front of her. "I'm gonna need more light" Frank ordered, and Kenny grabbed the burning candle from the side table and held it closer to both of them.

Clementine took off her shirt, which would normally make her uncomfortable, but she trusted Frank. He ran his finger against the bullet wound in her shoulder, his cold hand making her skin shiver. He slowly placed a pair of white latex gloves on his hands, to prevent infection, she assumed. He handed her a bottle of water and a few round, white pills.

"Take these, Clem. They'll ease the pain."

Considering she had already been through the intense agony of treating her own wounds, she was more than happy with taking painkillers. She downed them with the water, and Frank pulled the large bottle of hydrogen peroxide from his duffel bag. She nearly spat out the water when she saw the familiar bottle. He must have noticed her eyes shoot open in reaction to seeing the antiseptic.

"I know, Clem. It's gonna suck, but it'll be over soon. I promise." He handed her a small rag. "Bite into this when you're hurting. I don't want you cutting your tongue open."

Kenny was clearly becoming distraught the more Frank spoke about it. "How long is this gonna take, doc?" He asked, his hand shaking slightly, making the candle flicker.

Frank didn't turn back to look at him. "Well, Kenny, the longer we wait, the longer it'll take. Let's just get it over with, alright Clem?"

She nodded slowly, fear evident on her face.

* * *

><p>Tears were building in her eyes as Frank wrapped a bandage around her shoulder. He had cleaned the wound so thoroughly with the antiseptic that she could still feel the burning and stinging, even with the painkillers. He finished wrapping the cotton bandage around her wound and cut the ends off with a pair of thin scissors. She resisted the urge to cry the entire time, but now that it was over, she somehow couldn't hold it in anymore, and tears started to slide down her cheek. She looked up at Kenny, who was looking away. He clearly couldn't bare seeing her in this pain.<p>

"Alright, Clem...We should be good for now. I'll let it sit overnight, in the morning we'll put some ointment on the wound, and see if it's gotten any better. I want you to drink a shit ton of water from now on, and eat as many fruits you can, alright? You need the vitamins and hydration after all that blood you've lost."

She wiped the tears off her cheek with her sleeve, and nodded slowly, a small noise escaping her mouth accidentally.  
>"Alright, good job, Clem. You're done for now." He said, standing back up from his kneeled position. Clem began putting her shirt back on, each movement making the sting in her shoulder even worse.<p>

"You okay, Clem?" Kenny asked, and she looked up at him. He was clearly anxious and concerned, he almost looked like he was going to cry. For a man who acted so tough, he seemed very weak in that moment.

She nodded to him, not really paying much attention to anything but the pain in her arm.

"She'll be fine in the morning. You're up, Ken. Lie down with your left side facing me, bud."

He hesitantly placed AJ into his makeshift crib, knowing that Clementine was in no shape to hold him.

He walked over to the couch, removing his ball cap. Kenny did like he was asked; he lay down on the couch, his bandaged eye facing Frank. The man pulled up a small dining chair in front of the couch.  
>"This might take a while." He said, removing the bandage from Kenny's eye. Clementine was holding her bandaged shoulder, watching Frank work on Kenny. She felt the need to be there with him.<p>

She heard Frank breath in sharply and saw him cringe when he uncovered Kenny's injured eye. "Jesus..." was all he managed to express. He paused for a second, before sighing. "Do you mind telling me what the **fuck** happened? I can already tell your orbital is in pieces..." he ran his finger across the skin surrounding his eye socket. "Your skin is soft like tissue paper...This is worse than I expected."

Clementine winced at what Frank was saying.

"Yeah, doc, we'll save that for another day. Let's just get this over with."

Frank continued running his gloved finger across the eye socket. "No, Kenny. This is going to need a lot of tending, I honestly can't believe you're not dead yet. How much medical attention have you had for the injury?"

Kenny stuttered for a moment. "Had a doctor in our group. Didn't have many supplies, though. He's the one who bandaged me up."

Frank clicked his tongue in disgruntlement. "Like to see where he got his degree..." he said under his breath. "We're going to need to start right off with the eye drops. Clementine, I'm gonna need you."

Clementine obeyed, walking toward the couch.

"This isn't going to be fun. We need to open the eye just a touch."

Kenny lifted his back from the couch. "Open it? The **fuck** is that going to-"

Frank was clearly exasperated. "Just trust me here, Kenneth. We'll let it close on its own afterward. For now, we need these drops in your eye. It'll lower the inflammation and help prevent infection. Can you lie back down, please." He asked, but it sounded more like a command. Kenny paused for a second, but ultimately obeyed, lying his head back on the couch.

"Clementine, hold the edges of his eyelid with your thumbs." She followed his orders, placing her fingers on the top and bottom of his eyelid.

"Good. Now, we need to force the eye open just enough so I can get a few drops inside. Obviously it seems more logical to let it stay shut and let it heal, but the swelling is too severe to ignore, we need to get this done. On three, slowly pull the eye open, alright?"

Clementine nodded, her hands shaking slightly in fear. "One...two..._three_"

She pulled the eyelid open slowly with her index fingers. She heard Kenny inhale sharply as she pulled the eye open. She got a glimpse of his eyeball through the small opening between his eyelids; it was dark red, rather than the soft white color it was supposed to be. Frank slowly started squeezing small droplets of the liquid onto the eyeball, each time Kenny grimaced from the stinging. "Okay, that should be enough."

She let go of his eye, and it quickly shut back closed.

"Okay, we're going to let it stay shut from now on. It needs to stay that way if we want it to heal on its own. Thanks for your help, Clementine."

She backed away to leave Frank to his work.

"We about done here, doc?" Kenny asked, groaning slightly.

"No, Kenny. Not at all."

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><p>It had been about an hour that Frank was working on Kenny. Clementine was now sitting in the small sofa chair beside them, as she had been for a while now.<p>

Frank had given Kenny a lot of pills, and was now applying some sort of ointment around his eye. Kenny kept saying how he thought it was excessive, but Clementine would always tell him that he needed to get as much care as possible for the injury, and Frank would agree with her, making Kenny's arguing pointless.

"Okay...now hold this against your eye for about twenty minutes, and then again in an hour. It'll help with the bruising, which, there's a lot of, to say the least. You got it?"

Kenny groaned, sitting up on the couch. He was holding a large red heating pad against his eye. "I got it. Thanks, pal."

Frank slowly removed his latex gloves, throwing in the garbage bin a few feet away.

"You've got ruptured blood vessels in your eye, Kenny. I can tell from the red coloration of the eyeball that you have some pretty severe subconjunctival bleeding. We're going to need to take care of that once the swelling's gone down and the bruising has had time to heal."

Kenny simply groaned in response. Clementine stood up from the couch, and Frank turned his attention to her. "We'll let you rest up for a little while, Clem. I'll check how the wound's doing in the morning."

Clementine walked over to the small table next to the couch, and grabbed the bottle of baby formula. She began feeding AJ. She noticed it was now dark outside, it got dim early this time of the year.

"Alright, I'd say I've earned myself a drink." Frank said, walking over to the dining room table. He picked up the bottle of wine that was sitting on the table. "Want a nip?" he asked Kenny.

"Nah, I'm good." He replied, standing up from the couch. He slowly took off the heat pad from his eye.

Clementine noticed that the eye looked a lot better than it did earlier, the bruising had healed slightly, making it less purple, and the cuts across his nose and cheek were closed. She hated that he had gone through the injury, she felt responsible. If only she had given up the radio, maybe Carver wouldn't have been so vicious. He told her many times that it wasn't her fault, yet she couldn't help but feel intense remorse.

"So...Frank, what are the chances of my eye healing up? Y'know, so I can see out of it again?" Kenny asked.

Frank blew air roughly out of his lips as he poured the wine into a tall glass. "Just about impossible to say for sure, Ken. Until it heals itself enough to be opened fully, I can't make a clear assumption. Even if it _does_ heal, you might not have control of your eye muscles after the trauma. You might be able to move your eye fully..."

Kenny looked away. "Uh, yeah, okay. That's enough, thanks." Clearly, he wasn't liking the idea of not being able to see anymore. It made Clementine feel even worse, the thought of him never being able to see out of his eye because of her...It crushed her.

"Look on the bright side, at least there's the possibility of it healing on its own. Without those anti-inflammatories, there would've been no chance. Hell, it probably would have gotten infected before we could even make an assumption. Cheers." He began drinking the glass of wine he had poured himself.

Kenny sighed. "I'm gonna head off t'a bed, try and rest a little."

Frank downed the rest of the glass, letting out a sharp breath before speaking. "Good man. Good idea. No better medicine than sleep. Except maybe Tramadol. That shit's real good. G'night, Ken."

Kenny headed down the hall, giving Clem a faint smile as he walked away. Frank walked over to the couch, and sat down heavily. "Hell of a day, huh?" He asked Clementine, pouring himself another glass of wine.

She stared at him, a little perplexed. "Yeah." she responded, not looking at him.

"I had to lie to get those supplies, you know. Not really much of a fib, but I wasn't truthful. Told the girl I had a sick brother, and a son. Can't really seem to get that out of my head." He paused, then laughed lightly. "Why the hell does something like _that _ bother me? I mean, I've done way worse things just trying to stay alive. But for some reason, that little white lie just bugs the hell out of me. Huh. Weird." He took another sip of his wine.

Clementine sat down next to him, holding AJ in her arms. Frank suddenly turned to look at her.

"Hey, that reminds me. You think about my offer at all?"

She wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about, and she cocked an eyebrow to let him know.

"Y'know, I told you about my education in psychology. Told you that if you ever wanted to talk about something, that I'm the guy to talk to. You thought about it at all?"

She looked away, thinking for a moment. "I, uh...no, not really."

Frank dropped his glass on the table in front of him. "Well, I see no better time. I'm slightly buzzed, probably won't remember much of what you tell me anyway, and this is just about the only alone time we've had since we've met."

Clementine looked at him. "What, you want me to...tell you something?" She wasn't exactly sure of what he was trying to say.

He nodded, he seemed keen. "Yeah, just, y'know, anything that's on your mind. We don't have to start off with anything personal, just...start off real small. Anything that's been bugging you, or just tell me a little of what you've been through. Trust me, letting things off your chest can be a huge help."

Clementine looked away, not exactly sure if she should tell him anything. She heard him scoff lightly. "C'mon, Clementine, don't tell me you still don't trust me after all this?"

She shook her head. "No, it's not that..." He nodded slowly, and placed a hand up. "Ah, I get it. Not sure if you want to talk about anything with me. I get that, Clem. But, it's an open offer. Like I said, talking to someone can be a huge relief sometimes. Maybe I could even help you with some issues you're dealin' with, which, I'm sure there's a shit ton of, pardon the language."

She looked down, thinking to herself.

**A. Tell him a little of what you've been through**

**B. Tell him about what you and Kenny have done**

**C. Tell him nothing and walk away**


	11. Chapter 11: Mend the past

**A/N:** This chapter was a few hours late! Sorry about that! My internet was down for a little while, it's fine now. So, the votes for the last chapter were crazy, when I started writing this chapter, these were the results at the time-

_**A- 12**_  
><em><strong>B-10<strong>_  
><em><strong>C-2<strong>_

You guys are all so incredibly awesome, every time I get a review it's like I'm opening a gift. I really do appreciate all the support you've all given me thus far! It kinda sucks that the two top votes were very close, but let's just say I'm going to find a way to please everyone in the next few chapters. I can't give any hints, I've already said too much :P

I'm not exactly sure if I'm 100% happy with this chapter, but I know I'm still proud of it! Things are going to get exciting pretty soon.

xXCheriValentineXx- Thank you for you support :)

G- I'm quite confused by this, unless I'm mistaken, I don't remember ever advertising this FF on any other websites, so you _might _be mistaking me for someone else.

Best username evar- That could be nice, but then that would remove the point of voting, and it would just be easier to keep the story linear. Thank you so much for reading!

Guest- Thank you for the kind words! (I'm talking to the guest who wrote the long review, by the way) I'm glad you like the OC! Yes, he's written to act a bit..."eccentric" at times, but this far in the apocalypse, I don't think anyone is really completely ordinary :L And that's about I can say about Frank, whether or not he's trustworthy is up to you to determine! Also, I love that you caught the reference to Carlos XD I was wondering if anyone would notice that!

Jill- Though B didn't win, there is some chaos coming... _very soon:D _

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><p>Clementine took a short breath. She didn't have much time to think about what the man was asking her. She looked up at him; he was scratching his thick stubble of a beard, and seemed to be waiting for an answer.<p>

"Okay..." she mumbled quietly, not exactly sure of what to say. She noticed him smile faintly.

"Alright, sweet. Now, we don't have to start off with anything huge, like I said, just, kinda...brush the surface of things, and work our way up later if you'd like." He spoke, seemingly eager.

She cocked an eyebrow. "What do you want me to say?"

He shrugged. "Just...anything. Any little things that that've been on your mind, it can really help to just get them out, and maybe I can even try to give you some ways of dealing with them. I'm a little rusty, but it's worth a shot."

She looked toward the fireplace. She was considering things to say...where do you start with something like this? She couldn't remember a time when she _didn't _feel overwhelmed.

He must have noticed she was having difficulty. "Why don't you...just start at the beginning of all this?"

She hated the thought of going through it again. The painful memories of Lee and the motorinn survivors were too much for her, she always tried to push them back. She felt a lump in her throat as she clutched AJ tighter in her arms.

"I don't really want to talk about the past..." She whispered, not looking at him. She heard him sigh quietly.

"I know what that's like, Clementine. I bet you've been told countless times to just keep moving forward, right? That's all that anyone says anymore, just...keep moving. Don't stop to mourn, or regret, or even _feel_ anything...just keep moving."

She continued to stare down at Aj, listening to what Frank was saying.

"And we listen to them. You just...move, and push back all the thoughts and emotions. But what you don't realize is, you're not leaving them behind when you move forward. You're carrying those things with you, and at some point, when you're at your weakest, they're all going to hit you at once. It's better to just take some time to actually realize what it is you're feeling, or dealing with. You understand, Clementine?" He said, lowering his head to make her look at him. She turned her head to face him, and nodded.

She felt a weakness in her voice as she began to speak.

"My parents left on vacation before this all started...they...never came back. This man found me, he was the one who took care of me. He taught me how to survive."

She paused for a moment, her eyes started to burn.

"Lee, right?" Frank asked softly.

Her eyes widened, a little bit surprised. "...Yeah, Lee...how do you...?"

He interrupted her. "Remember a few nights ago, when we met? At the dinner table, Kenny mentioned something about not being as good of a father figure as Lee."

There was a small silence. Frank chuckled lightly, picking up his glass of wine from the table. "Yeah, that was when Kenny was trying to get me drunk." He took a heavy sip from the glass. "I could tell he wasn't really just being friendly, that was obvious. I can read some people like a book, and Kenny...well, he's probably got one of the most straightforward dispositions I've ever seen."

Clementine looked away, thinking of what to say next.

"That's...when I met Kenny. We went to Macon and met up with other survivors. We tried living in an old motel for a while...but one day, we got attacked by a group of bandits, and had to leave on the road. Kenny's son, Duck, had been bitten during the raid...his mom shot herself when they had to put him down." She felt heartache at the thought of Duck and Katjaa.

Frank's face seemed aghast, and he looked toward the hallway, at the room Kenny was sleeping in. "Jesus...he lost his wife and kid?"  
>She nodded slowly, not looking him in the eye.<p>

"How did he...deal with it?"

She pondered for a brief moment. "It was bad. His family was everything to him..."

Frank took off his glasses. "Yeah, he seems like the family type...Christ."

She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She hated thinking of it, but she needed to get it out...he was right. She needed to talk about it.

"This man...said he knew where my parents were. I was stupid...I believed him. I ran off. I thought I knew what I was doing. And Lee got bitten trying to find me. It was my fault."

Frank rested his back against the couch. "There it is." He muttered, staring forward.

"What?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

He kept staring forward, not facing her. "There it is. I knew it was coming. And I'm not talking about Lee getting bitten. I mean, I knew he died, that's obvious. But I saw the guilt coming. Seen it before, you've got that...manner. I don't know how to explain it, but I could tell you were carrying something heavy, and that must be it. The culpability you feel for Lee's death." He turned his head to look at her.

She felt a little bitter. "It _was_ my fault."

He shrugged. "Maybe it **was**, Clementine. Hell, maybe he would be here with us if you had done something different. Or maybe he would have died anyway. And I hate to speak of it with such... negligence, but you have to realize that whether or not it was your fault doesn't matter. It's not something you should carry with you, because focusing on whose fault it was is meaningless. Contrition won't bring him back, Clementine. I hate to say it, but regretting the past won't fix anything. Maybe, looking back, you feel like you could have done things differently. But in the moment, it would have been impossible to know. All you can do now, Clementine, is learn from your mistakes. The only way we can mend the past is by learning from it, and implementing those lessons to our future."

She felt a tear build in her eye, and quickly looked away from him. The thought of Lee was starting to have its toll on her. She rubbed her eye with her sleeve.

He took another sip of wine. "Hell, when I lost my wife, I felt like everything was my damn fault. And maybe there _was_ more I could have done. But I didn't, and there's nothing I can do to change that. Besides, she wouldn't want me to feel regretful. She would want me to remember her as the person I loved more than life itself, and not as the person I let die."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him.  
>"And I know Lee would have wanted the same for you, Clementine. If he gave his life to protect you, there's no doubt in my mind that he'd never want you to feel guilty for his sacrifice, or for you to live your life wondering if you could have done more. He wanted you to live, but he wanted you to be happy too, Clem. He didn't want this."<p>

Finally, it was too much for her, and a tear pushed itself out of her eye and slid down her cheek. She simply let herself cry quietly as she looked down at Aj. Frank took his hand off her shoulder. He spoke over her quiet sobs.

"What I'm trying to say, Clementine...is that it's okay to feel sad that Lee's gone. It's okay to miss him. But don't spend your life feeling guilty over his death. Because that's not what he would want."

She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve, and took a deep breath. There was a long silence as the two sat facing the burning fireplace.

"Okay, Clementine. I think that's enough for now. Try to remember what I told you whenever you start to feel upset. We'll talk again soon enough. You should get to bed."

She stood up from the couch, and turned to face him. "Are you..are you going to sleep on the couch?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "I might sleep. Might not. I've got a lot on my mind, to say the least. I might spend the night alone with my thoughts."

She paused. "Do you...want to talk about anything?"

He smiled. "Nah, you've got more than enough on your plate already. I can deal with my own problems. Goodnight, Clementine."

"Goodnight, Frank." She said quietly, before turned around and heading down the hallway.

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><p>She woke up when she felt Kenny's hand on her arm, rocking her gently. "C'mon, Clem, time to wake up." she heard him whisper, and the sound of his voice gave her the spirit to open her eyes. She saw him looking down at her, and she threw a small smile at him. She pushed herself off the bed and yanked the covers off of herself. She yawned into her hand as Kenny began walking toward the door of the bedroom.<p>

"Frank's making breakfast, he says he's gonna head out later, not sure what for though." He said as he opened the bedroom door. Clementine walked past him, rubbing her eyes as she walked out into the hallway with Kenny following her. When she reached the living room, she saw Frank removing a pot of boiling water from the now extinguished fireplace.

"Good mornin', Clem. Breakfast'll be ready in a little bit." He said, carrying the pot to the kitchen. Clementine noticed how bright it was outside, it had snowed overnight and everything outside the window seemed like a white blur.

"Frank, what were you sayin' about heading out somewhere?" Kenny asked.

"Just for a walk. I was thinking that I should just go for a quick reconnaissance of exactly what's around us, because if I'm not mistaken, we've only gone in one straight direction from here, and that's northwest to Wellington. I'm thinking I do a quick little tour, this whole place can't be completely barren, right?"

Kenny shrugged his shoulders, looking at Clementine. "I dunno, you sure you wanna go out by yourself?"

Frank walked over to the dinner table, carrying three bowls. "Well, I don't want Clementine to be freezing her ass off out there, but I don't want her staying here by herself, either. Not much choice. Breakfast is ready."

Kenny picked up AJ out of his crib, and he and Clementine walked to the dinner table. Clementine looked at the bowl in front of her; it was full of white rice.

"More of a lunch kinda food than breakfast, but it's the apocalypse, sue me." Frank said, sitting down. Clementine picked up the spoon and began eating hastily, and Kenny was feeding AJ.

"Well, if you're really planning on going out there alone, you'll need a gun. I'll give you mine." Kenny said, focusing on Alvin Junior.

"Thanks, Kenny. Chances are, I won't need it; but it's nice to have that extra protection just in case." Frank said before he began eating.

The rest of breakfast was mostly quiet, everyone seemed to be thinking to themselves. After a few minutes, Frank loudly dropped his spoon into his bowl, and stood up off the chair. "Well, no point in wasting time. I'll grab my stuff." He said, throwing on his leather jacket.

Kenny stood up as well. "Here." He said, handing his berretta to Frank. "It's got five rounds."

"Thanks, man. I shouldn't be too long. Maybe an hour or two." He said, placing the berretta into the inside pocket of his jacket.

Frank walked over to the coat hanger in the doorway of the cabin, and took his ski mask into his hands. He took off his glasses before pulling down the balaclava over his head. He turned his head to Clementine, and paused for a moment before speaking.

"I'm gonna want to talk to you when I get back, Clementine." He said, turning around toward the door.

"Uh, okay." Clementine responded quietly, not sure if he heard her or not.

He opened the door, and the cold wind entered the cabin, making Clementine shiver slightly. As Frank closed the door behind him, the sound of the howling wind quieted down.

Kenny turned to Clementine, holding Aj in one arm. "What's he want to talk to you about?" He asked her, as expected. She simply shrugged in response. Kenny placed Aj back into his crib, and walked toward Clementine.

"So, what do you wanna do?" He asked her, and she smiled in response, raising one eyebrow.

She noticed his eyes widen, and saw him stammer slightly. His timidity almost made her giggle. "C'mon, Kenny. Let's have some fun." She said, and realized he wasn't looking her in the eye. He started scratching the back of his neck.

"I, uh..need to...uh..."

She rolled her eyes. She always had to be the one to make the first move.

She grabbed him by the hand, and started nearly dragging him into the bedroom. She heard protest and stutter a few times, but he kept walking. She wasn't listening to him, anyway.

She only had one thing on her mind.


	12. Chapter 12: Desire

A/N: PURE SMUT! As you most likely predicted, this chapter is all smut :P Also, quite short, unfortunately. Next chapter will expand more!

HOLY CRAP! Here's celebrating over 100 reviews! You guys are all so incredibly awesome.

RavenHunter155: That is an interesting suggestion! Maybe in the future. Thanks for your support!

sufn: Thank you for reading!

xXCheriValentineXx: You're awesome, hope you enjoy this chapter!

Urbandude: Thank you for all the support! And you're right, that was a pretty evil way to end the last chapter XD

Ryan: Oh, thanks for bringing that up...just as a note, this chapter is pretty easy-going considering it's only smut...but things are still building, don't worry!

More development next chapter, I promise! Just needed a little break for some smutty moments :) Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter!

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><p>Clementine held Kenny's hand in hers as she led him to the bedroom. She swung open the door, nearly dragging Kenny at this point. He was mumbling something behind her, but she wasn't paying any attention. She turned around to face him, and she could read the uneasiness on his face. He sighed heavily.<p>

"Clem, come on...you know this ain't right..." He stammered, his anxiety rendering his voice wobbly. She rolled her eyes and cocked an eyebrow. Why was he being such a baby? It didn't matter to her anyway, she knew she could convince him to stop whining. She took a step forward, and grabbed his belt buckle, staring him straight in the eye. He didn't protest, but she could tell how badly he wanted to. It was obvious that he was tempted to just walk away, but she was determined not to let that happen.

She took her right hand off of his belt, and lightly grabbed the bulge in his jeans, not breaking eye contact. He breathed in roughly, either in pleasure or surprise. She continued groping the large, stiff object in his pants, running her hand across it and feeling its length. She began to unbuckle his belt, while shooting him a lustful smile. Before she even finished taking his belt off, he interrupted her, gently grabbing her small hands. He was about to protest again, she knew it. She knew this was going to happen, she thought, as she stared at him with an annoyed frown. He paused for a moment, looking her straight in the eyes, before letting out a heavy breath, and smirking. He began taking off his thick green vest.  
>"You're stubborn as all hell..." He teased, before picking her up off the ground, which caught her off guard. He tossed her onto the large bed, the intensity of what was happening making her even more eager. She lifted herself slightly with her elbows, and watched in excitement as Kenny dropped his pants. She smiled in victory as she began unbuttoning her own jeans, Kenny slowly climbing on the bed and crawling on top of her. He pulled her jeans down her legs slowly, which drove her crazy, her impatience was through the roof. She helped him by pulling down her panties, and kicking them off the side of the bed. Her entire bottom half was now bare, and Kenny was lying on top of her.<p>

She felt slightly unsure of exactly was happening, and she was a little nervous, but she trusted Kenny, more than she'd trusted anyone before. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her forward, bringing her into a fierce kiss. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as he began running his fingers through her hair, pulling her even deeper into the kiss. She felt his tongue roughly break through her soft lips, and enter her mouth. He slowly pulled his head away from hers, breathing heavily as he stared into her eyes. Their gazes were locked on each other for a few seconds, before she felt him move. She looked down, and noticed him grab the object she had just been feeling. She winced lightly in shock as he pressed it against her, which made her body quiver.

"Clementine...are you sure you want this?" He asked gently.

Was he kidding? Of course she did. Her desire was driving her insane, and she wasn't even fully sure what she was waiting for. She could tell he wanted an answer, though, so she nodded slowly. There was a brief silence.

"It's gonna hurt." He said roughly. She put on a determined face to show that she could take it, but couldn't shake the slight uneasiness.

Without warning, Kenny forcefully pushed himself inside her. She let out a pained yelp as he entered her, slowly pushing deeper inside her. She laid back flat, and fell against the bed; the pain was too much, there was no way it would fit! She wailed in pain as her vision became blurred, and he suddenly pushed powerfully past something, causing even more pain. He slowly stopped moving. "It's in." he murmured. She lifted herself back onto her elbows, and stared down. He was right, he was fully inside of her. She couldn't believe it, how did it possibly fit?

"Clem, jesus, you okay?!" He asked, noticing the mist in her eyes. She wanted to act tough, like she could take it, but she was in too much pain to bother. She simply nodded slowly, focusing her attention back on the thing that was now crammed inside of her.

"Alright, hold on" He said, and she winced, letting out soft sounds as he slowly pulled out of her. That couldn't have been it, could it? She wondered as he pulled himself out almost completely. Her question was answered immediately, as he began pushing back inside of her, slightly faster than before. It still hurt, but far less. Again, he pulled back, and thrust once more inside her. He continued this motion, moving faster each time. The pain slowly became insignificant as a new sensation began to set in, a familiar, yet new feeling. Her excitement quickly started to rise as Kenny continued thrusting inside her, sending waves of pleasure through her body. She began moaning heavily as she placed her hands on his shoulders, digging into the fabric of his shirt as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as the pleasure overwhelmed her, she was loving every second of it. "Mmhmm..oh, fuck..." she muttered through her moans and heavy breaths, as Kenny kept pushing in and out of her. She couldn't describe the feeling, but it made her mind all fuzzy, and made her forget about everything. She felt the pleasure rise even higher as her moans became louder, and she felt something building.  
>"F...faster.." she ordered, and he obeyed, thrusting faster and deeper inside of her, her loud, sensual moans became much heavier as she felt the pleasure building. The intensity of Kenny pushing in and out of her faster than before made all her thoughts disappear. She was focused only on the amazing sensation, as she felt her grip on him tighten. She moaned his name loudly as her body clenched and quivered tightly around him, pleasure and bliss overwhelming her as she felt Kenny begin to fill her with his warm liquid. She felt like she could just faint, it was incredible. The two moaned as he came inside of her, a mind-blowing orgasm overpowering both of them.<p>

She continued to moan after he finished squirting inside of her. They were both breathing extremely heavily. He pulled himself out, and landed next to her. They both stared at the ceiling, panting loudly, until Clementine finally caught her breath enough to begin speaking.

"Kenny...that...was...that was..." She couldn't finish her sentence, she couldn't think of the words to describe what just happened. Kenny suddenly sat upright, and pulled himself off the bed. She watched in disorientation as he began to dress himself, while she lay motionless on the bed. She could hardly even move.

"When you're feeling up to it, come meet me in the living room" Kenny said, throwing his green jacket back on.

She was still slightly dazed, and couldn't get rid of the smile on her lips. She managed to pull herself up from the bed, and nodded to him, with a quiet "uh-huh" escaping her mouth. He smiled back at her, before leaving the room as he buckled his belt.


	13. Chapter 13: Compromise

A/N: I'm sorry, I'm a day late with this chapter! I had finals this week, and it was pretty hectic. I had to push this chapter back on my priorities! Sorry about that, everyone. Anyway, regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's quite short, so I'm sorry about that. I didn't get much time to work on this one. If it feels like filler...well, that's because it sort of is. But it's more "building" for the next chapter than it is filler, so hopefully it's not too big of an issue!

xXCheriValentineXx: I've had others ask for that as well! I do believe that the switch of narratives could be interesting. Hopefully you'll see some of it in the coming chapters!

RavenHunter155: Thank you for your support :)

Zak: Showing this ff to your friends is..._probably_ not the best move :P

Trevr: Thank you! You too! :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter!

Again, sorry for the sloppiness/shortness/delay of this chapter. My exams are done, so next week's chapter will definitely be more exciting! Thanks for reading, as always.

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><p>Clementine lay on the soft bed, completely dazed. She drowsily lifted herself, and managed to find the strength to climb off the bed. She took a deep breath, regaining her composure after the incredible experience she just had. She could hardly think straight as she pulled began pulling her panties back up her legs, followed by her jeans. She grabbed her hat from the nightstand and placed it back over her head before walking toward the door to the bedroom. As she walked down the short hallway, she noticed Kenny in the living room, holding AJ in his arms. She began buttoning up her jeans as he turned to face her. He briefly stared at her, and she noticed the uneasiness on his expression. He suddenly turned and sat down heavily on the couch, looking away from her. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, until Kenny finally spoke up.<br>"I'm worried about Francis."

Clementine sat down on the couch next to him, and he still wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring out the window beside them. She looked over, and immediately understood why his attention was focused there. All she could see was the frost against the windowsill and the white glow outside, it was nothing short of a snowstorm, and Frank was still gone.

"It's a goddamn blizzard out there. Better hope he hasn't gone far, or he's gonna have a hell of a time finding his way back." He said, finally looking back at her. She wasn't exactly sure what to think.

"I'm...sure he's fine." She reassured him, not entirely confident herself. Again, there was a brief pause as they both stared in different directions.

"You know...I'm sure Frank won't be back for a while." She broke the awkward silence, and Kenny looked at her. He seemed...troubled. She figured he didn't understand what she was trying to say, so she made it more obvious.

"Wanna go again?" She asked with an ambitious smile on her lips.

He looked down at AJ, and didn't answer her. She was slightly puzzled. "What?" She asked, and he sighed quietly in response.

"Clem, we can't be doing those things anymore."

His response dismayed her completely. Was he joking? Why would he say that? The things they've done made her forget about everything happening around her. For them to be able to make each other feel that way in these times was...special. Why was he trying to take that away?  
>"Are you kidding? Why not?" Was all she could respond.<p>

He answered immediately, as if he had prepared himself for the question. "Because, Clem! It ain't right. You just... there are things you don't understand, Clementine. I'm sorry, it's the way it's gotta be."

She was so tired of him always acting like this. "You always do this. Why are you being such a baby? If what we did was so wrong, shouldn't I be the one whining? Aren't I the kid here?"

He groaned heavily, placing his hand over his forehead. "Look, don't start, alright? I'd be _more_ than happy to have this conversation with you later, Clementine. But now just ain't the time. I've got...things on my mind."

She shot him a deadpan glare. "Why? 'Cause you _'made it' _with me?" She asked boldly.

He was obviously taken aback by her comment. "Now-Clem, I don't wanna hear you talkin' like that, 'specially not when Frank's around. You understand why he can't know about all this, right?"  
>She nodded bitterly, muttering a harsh "Yeah." and looking away. She sighed loudly, making sure he heard her. She was so sick of him treating her like an idiot. He was acting like more of a kid than she was. There was a long silence as they both sat facing away from each other.<p>

But she kept thinking about what he said. What did he mean that there were things she didn't understand? Was there something she didn't know about? The curiosity was getting to her, and she finally turned back to face him.

"Kenny-"

She was interrupted by the sound of the door swinging open.

"Ho-ho-holy shit everyone, Christmas is coming early!"

It was Frank. She and Kenny quickly stood up and walked toward the doorway he was standing in, the sound of the howling wind outside was deafening. "Close the door!" She shouted, and he did, kicking it shut behind him. She felt a slight relief as the blaring sound of the snowstorm ceased. He swiftly pulled his black balaclava off his face.  
>"You look like crap." She commented. He was covered in snow, and the upper part of his face that wasn't protected by the ski mask was colored red. It made him look stupid, and she almost laughed.<p>

He scoffed lightly. "Yeah, it's a damn winter wonderland out there. Freakin' storm came out of nowhere."

There was a short pause, before he spoke again. "Shit, you almost look worse than I do. What's up, Clem? You seem... flushed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you got buzzed while I was gone." He joked, and she froze. She had heard enough out of Kenny to understand that Frank discovering the 'things' they've been doing wouldn't go down nicely. She had no idea how to respond. Luckily, Kenny answered for her.

"It's probably 'cause of all that blood she lost last night. When you were workin' on her shoulder." He covered for them.

There was an odd tension as Frank stared at Kenny dubiously. He seemed unsure of his remark. "Yeah. That's...a possibility." He slowly turned his head and stared at the floor next to them, he seemed to be lost in thought. A few awkward seconds passed before Kenny broke the tension.

"Frank? ...Did you find anything out there?"

Frank looked like he had just come out of a trance. "Wha- Oh, yeah. Yeah, hey, you guys are gonna like this. So, I was headed southeast of the cabin, past the forest, right? And it turns out that, it doesn't stretch as far as we thought, because it didn't take me long to reach a small town."

Kenny and Clementine both smiled at each other. A new town could mean untouched supplies, and maybe even better shelter.

"Was it empty?" Clementine asked skeptically. She'd had enough of strangers finding them.

He shrugged in response. "I could only guess, kid. Seemed deserted from the outskirts, but I didn't make it too far in before the storm hit and forced me to head back. I _did_ manage to find a convenience store, though. Most of the place had been picked clean, but asides from that, it seemed pretty damn untouched, considering everything. I managed to grab these before heading back."

He pulled out a small prescription bottle.

"What is it?" Clementine asked curiously.

"Oxycodone. Heavy stuff. Personally, I don't think we need anything this strong, but..."

Kenny reached out his hand. "Lemme see that." Frank handed the bottle to him, and Kenny slowly read the label.

"Yeah, It's odd. I would've expected some junkie to have gotten his hands on it before us. Anything with opium in it is usually a pretty heavy target for bandits." Frank commented. Kenny handed him back the bottle before speaking.

"Alright, soon as this storm lets up, we're heading out. That could be a whole town full of supplies just sittin' there waiting for us."

Frank seemed bewildered. "What? You're not seriously thinking we should all go at once? What about AJ?"

Kenny was adamant , as usual. "There ain't any other choice. You can't go on your own, it just ain't safe. And I don't know about you, but I'm not just gonna stand around doing nothing waiting for someone else to pick that place clean."

Frank sighed at Kenny's stubbornness. "You _really_ think it's a good idea to bring eleven year old and a newborn to some town we've never visited before, Ken? Do you really think that's the best plan, or are you just thinking out loud here?"

"She's not just a kid, Frank. She can take care of herself. We'll be better off havin' her with us." Kenny commented. Clementine scoffed quietly. After everything he just told her on the couch, now he's saying that she's not a kid? Kenny clearly heard her, and he took a moment to turn his head and look at her. She stared at him, unimpressed, and it was obvious that he understood.

"Alright, fine. I'm not even going to bother debating this. We'll leave once the storm's calmed. But we're only checking the outskirts, alright? I'm not bringing us to the center of a city full of walkers."

Kenny nodded. Clementine knew the plan wasn't great, but at least Kenny was willing to compromise a little. Normally, he'd get an idea and his head and refuse to budge.

"Clementine, I'd like to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" Frank asked. Clementine nodded, and looked toward Kenny. He hesitated, and seemed uncertain, but ultimately left the room, carrying AJ with him. Clementine and Frank walked toward the couch, and sat down.

"Clem, you remember the other day, when you asked me if I needed to tell you anything? After you told me about your friend Lee, you remember?"

She cocked an eyebrow. She was unsure where he was going with this, but nodded anyway.

"Well, I realized...there actually _is_ something I needed to speak with you about. Something you probably won't want to hear."

She cringed. She had already heard enough today, what other bad news could he possibly have for her?


	14. Chapter 14: Worst-case scenario

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter, it's a little longer than usual! Some interesting things happen here...

Lindsey Mcdonald: Thank you for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed it so far!

emilyrose727 / My name is better than yours : Whoops...you might not like this chapter...

Ryan: I think everyone is starting to cave in a little...and things are only getting more tense...Thanks for reading!

Urbandude: Thank you for your continued support! I love reading your (and everyone else's) reviews!

xXCheriValentineXx: Thank you :) It's great to have your support!

**Quick little notice!** I'm going to be taking a very short hiatus to decide exactly where I want to go with this story and how I want things to turn out. Therefore, there won't be a chapter next week, and possibly (not certainly) the week after that. Hopefully the wait isn't too bad. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat about the story in the meanwhile! Thank you to everyone who reads this story and leaves comments, your support really is amazing! :)

See you soon!

* * *

><p>Clementine was sitting on the couch with Frank. She assumed he was just going to ask her if she was doing okay, or if she wanted to talk more with him about things that've been bothering her, like they did last night.<p>

"Clem, you remember the other day, when you asked me if I needed to tell you anything? After you told me about your friend Lee, you remember?"

She cocked an eyebrow slightly. She was unsure where he was going with this, but nodded anyway.

"Well, I realized...there actually is something I needed to speak with you about. Something you probably won't want to hear."

She cringed. She had already heard enough today, what other bad news could he possibly have for her? He paused, which made her uncomfortable. He seemed like he was having trouble thinking of the right words to use. He started running his hand across his thick stubble of a beard, staring at her pensively.

"How's your shoulder, Clem?" He finally asked. She looked down at the bandage that was wrapped tightly against the bullet wound. It still ached whenever she'd move her arm, but that didn't bother her too much. "Fine-I think..." She wasn't entirely sure why he was asking. He suddenly stared in the direction of the hallway behind them.

"You remember how I said I wanted to follow up on you and Ken today, right? Make sure your wounds were healing properly?"

She nodded. He paused again as he stared at the floor.

"I was, uh...I was up all last night. Just...thinking, and there's something I needed you to know, because when...**if** the time comes, I don't want you to freak out."

She was getting tired of all this stalling, she wanted him to just come out and say it already. "Frank, what is it?" She asked boldly.

She noticed that he wasn't staring her in the eye. He seemed distressed.

"It's Kenny." He said, finally looking back at her.

She felt annoyed, and she shot him an unimpressed, deadpan glare. She'd heard enough about Kenny being 'broken' and 'dangerous'. They were all wrong; Kenny was stronger than anyone else she knew, and everything he does is to protect her and AJ. And now Frank was starting too? She was frustrated, to say the least.

"Don't judge him. He's been through a lot, he's stronger than any of us. Do you know what he's done to protect us?" She asked sternly, and she noticed the confusion on his face.

"What? ...No, Clem, that's not at all what I was gonna say. I know you're right, Kenny's not a bad guy, Clem. Even though he...he may seem like he's caving at times, it's obvious he does everything he can to hold it together, and keep everyone around him safe. It's his nature, Clementine...that's just the kind of man he is. Anyone with half a brain can see how much he cares about you and AJ."

She was puzzled. "Then what _is_ it?"

This time, he was ready to respond. "It's his eye."

She was a little surprised at his direct answer. "...Oh..." She muttered, looking down.

He sighed lightly. "I was thinking about it all night, and...well, we need to deliberate what we're gonna do if the eye doesn't start healing, or gets worse before it does."  
>She was confused why he was bringing this up. "You cleaned it last night, why are you worried? We should just wait for it to heal on its own."<p>

He sighed. "Yeah, Clem. I did what I could, but we need to look at every possible outcome here, alright? I cleaned it as best I could, but if worse comes to worst, it could already be too late to do anything. I told you you're not gonna like hearing this, but I need you to understand what we need to do in the worst-case scenario, so when and if the time comes, you don't completely flip out, alright?"

She was seriously anxious, she could only imagine what the 'worst-case scenario' might possibly be. She prepared herself for what he was going to say.

He hesitated for a moment. "I did everything I could to eradicate the chance of infection, and I'd say it was more than adequate. But there's always the possibility that I was too late. How long has he had the wound?"

She thought for a moment. "A little more than two weeks, I think..." She immediately knew that wasn't what he wanted to hear, as he seemed even more concerned than before.

"Shit. Alright, that, uh...that's not good. I guess I'll just come out and say it; if the eye doesn't get any better soon, we need to start thinking what we're gonna do. There's always a small chance that he could eventually regain his vision, but Clem, if the eye starts to show signs of infection; if it starts turning yellow or greenish, or suddenly begins leaking, we need to be ready to deal with it. And with his orbital socket crushed, there's always the possibility of bone fragments-"

"Okay, yeah, I get it." She interrupted him. This whole thing was scaring her enough already, she didn't need these details.

"All I'm saying, Clementine, is that if it _does_ become infected, the eye being there could be doing more harm than good. You understand what I'm saying?"

The idea made her blood run cold. She tried not to imagine it. "We won't let that happen. You're a doctor, instead of worrying about what could happen, do something about it! _Fix_ him!" She shouted, but she was more scared than angry. "Keep your voice down, Clem..." He replied softly, motioning his hand for her to keep quiet. She forgot that Kenny was only down the hallway, and he might have heard her raising her voice.

"I've done everything I can, you know that. All we can do is wait and see. Like I said, this is only the worst-case scenario. I _could_ be completely wrong; but we need to be prepared for what'll happen if I'm not. That's the only reason I left this morning, I was hoping to find some things we might need if shit hits the fan. It was a stroke of luck I came across that small town, and found that oxycontin... that'll definitely help. We still need more, though...we'll need a clean, sterile blade, lots of gauze for the bleeding...As for how we'll go through with it, he'd either need to be sedated with something strong, and if that's not an option, well...you might have to hold him down, while I..."

He stopped speaking when he saw the look of absolute terror on her face. She felt sick just thinking about it. He tried to reassure her.

"But like I said, we don't know that it'll come to that. Just...when we head to that town later today, keep an eye out for those things we might need, alright? And...don't tell Kenny about this just yet, I'll find the right time to talk with him."

She nodded slowly, no less nervous than she was before. Just imagining having to do that was enough to make her almost want to cry.

There was a short silence. "Alright...well, the storm looks like it died down. I'll grab Ken. I want to check on him before we head out." He said, standing up from the couch. She didn't move. She had so much running through her head as she began holding AJ tighter in her arms.

* * *

><p>Kenny was carrying AJ with his left arm. In his right, he tightly held Frank's hunting knife. They had been walking for a little over a half hour. The end of the forest was just ahead, and they could see the outskirts of the town in the distance. Frank, who was wearing his ski mask as usual, had Kenny's pistol inside his leather jacket; Kenny trusted him with it more than himself. He'd proven to be a good shot, and besides, having only one good eye meant he didn't exactly trust his own reliability when it comes to aiming. Clementine had her pistol, of course. Unlike Frank, she had it out and ready. It made Kenny smirk; he found it amusing when she outsmarted the adults around her. She'd come so far from when he first met her, she's changed and matured so much...<p>

It made him think that maybe she was right. He treated her like a kid for too long, and...

He shook away the thought.

"Now remember, we're just gonna make a quick sweep, grab anything useful, and if things look clear enough, we can start heading deeper. But we're not going too far, we stick to the outskirts. Everyone stay frosty." Frank commanded, not bothering to turn and face them as he spoke. He was walking in front of Clementine and Kenny, who were both standing next to each other. Kenny realized that he's started to respect Frank more and more. Despite being a bit of an elitist prick, he seemed to have everything held together, and looked like the type of man to take a stand when nobody else would. Besides that, he was a smart sonuvabitch. He may have saved both his and Clementine's damn lives with his fancy education. God knows what he would've done if Clem's wound got infected before they met him.

They reached what seemed like a small pharmacy, and he figured it was the one Frank had raided earlier. "There anything left in that place?" He asked, but Frank kept walking ahead.

"Picked clean." He answered, as they passed the small building. There was a walker standing in the middle of the street, that seemed almost frozen in the snow. Luckily, it didn't notice them, allowing them to stick to the sidewalk and sneak past. The next place they reached was a small shack of a home. Kenny motioned Frank to sneak in from behind, and he nodded in response, heading around the small house. Clementine followed Kenny to the front of the home, wielding her pistol boldly. Kenny tried pushing the door open, but it wouldn't budge. The knob wasn't turning. He took a step back, preparing to kick it open.

Clementine put her arm in front of him, and shook her head. He immediately realized how stupid he was being, the noise would draw too much attention. There needed to be another way in, he thought to himself.

He took Frank's knife and pushed the blade inside the door frame, wiggling it vigorously. Finally, he managed to push back the lock mechanism, and the door suddenly snapped open. He looked over at Clementine, who had her pistol readily aimed toward the door.

"Good one." She commented, smiling confidently. He smiled back, before slowly walking inside the small home. Frank had already come in from the back, and was standing just a few feet away with Kenny's pistol in his hand.

"The back is clear." He said, placing the berretta back into his jacket pocket.

"Alright, take a quick look around for anything useful, and let's head out." Kenny replied. They all began searching through the home; it was small, and only had three rooms.

"I'll take the back" Frank commented, heading toward the two small rooms behind him. Kenny and Clementine began searching through the cramped living room. It was a mess, to say the least; items were thrown all over the floor, there was dried blood on the wall, the pillows from the couch were torn open and their polyester stuffing had been spread around the room, the drawers of the TV table were scattered all over the place...it must have been raided a long time before they got here. There was nothing useful left.

"There's nothing here" Clementine hollered to Frank, who was still in the other room. Kenny headed to the short hallway, with Clem following behind him. They reached the bathroom, and saw Frank searching the drawer underneath the sink.

"Anything?" Kenny asked.  
>"A few old rags, but that's all." He stated, standing up and handing Kenny a couple of small, worn-out rags.<p>

"Alright...Th' hell do we need these for?" Kenny asked, holding the dilapidated cloths in his hand.

"They could work as a coagulant, and replace gauze if one of us starts bleeding uncontrollably." Frank replied, shooting Clem a short, subtle glance. She realized he was addressing Kenny's eye, and it made her feel sick.

"Well, that's about everything we'll find in this stack 'a toothpicks. Let's get movin'." Kenny said, and they all headed for the entrance.

* * *

><p>Kenny checked his watch. It was 7:41. They'd been in this town for a little over half an hour. They didn't find much, either. Frank found a flashlight inside the last home they searched, and Kenny managed to find a small multi-tool pocket knife on a dead walker. Frank told him to hold onto it because the blade was "clean enough to use as a scalpel". He had no fuckin' clue why that mattered, but he didn't question it. The town was mostly deserted, they've only had to deal with about ten walkers since they got here. AJ had somehow managed to fall asleep in his arms, which was lucky for them.<p>

They were walking down a long road that had abandoned cars spread across the lanes, most of them had been stripped for parts. None of them were talking to each other; they were trying to keep quiet, but mostly, they all just had too much on their minds.

Kenny couldn't stop thinking about what he told Clementine this morning. Had he been too harsh? He had hurt her so many times before, just because he was too stupid to realize that she was only a kid, or only trying to help...like what happened after Sarita...

Maybe that's why he made that decision earlier today...he just couldn't bear the idea of again doing the wrong thing, or hurting her without realizing it.

His thought was interrupted when he saw Frank flinch, pulling his weapon from his jacket. "WATCH IT!" he yelled, aiming his pistol to the alleyway beside them. A man wearing a bandana on his face was slowly approaching them, a machete in his hand. Kenny pulled the knife from his pocket, flicking the blade out, as Clementine targeted the unknown man with her pistol.

"Don't you _fuckin_' move, asshole!" Kenny shouted, wielding Frank's knife with his free hand. He turned sideways to shield AJ.

The man slowly stopped walking, standing only about ten feet from them.

"Who are you?" Clementine asked boldly, her sights pointed at the man's forehead.

_"What a group you are."_ The man replied. His voice was scratchy and deep; it was daunting. _"A pirate and a baby, his boyfriend, and a pretty little girl." _

"You say one more word and your fuckin' head's coming off, you hear me?" Kenny replied angrily, taking a step forward.

"Drop the machete." Frank ordered. The man simply continued staring at him. "Or, I could shoot you in the face. Your choice." He continued. The man finally complied, loudly dropping the blade on the ground as he continued glaring at them.

"You have a group? Who are you with? Where are they?" Frank asked.

_"They're on their way, don't worry."_ The man replied unnervingly.

"You'd better start fucking co-operating, _friend_." Kenny growled. He walked over to Clementine, who was still pointing her pistol at the stranger. He handed AJ to her as Frank kept his sights on the man.

"Now, I'm asking nicely. Where's your group?" Frank asked again.

_"They're not far. And whether or not you kill me, they'll find you. All of you. And you'd fucking better hope they don't get their hands on your girl." _He chuckled chillingly.

Kenny snapped. Clementine called his named apprehensively as she noticed him grinding his teeth madly, his eye open wide. **"You fucking PIECE OF SHIT!"** He screamed, marching toward the man. He threw a feral right hook, hitting the man across the face and causing him to fall to the ground.

"KENNY!" Clementine screamed from behind him. He wasn't paying attention; he was seeing red. He placed his knee on the man's chest, ferociously punching him across the face. No thoughts were going through his mind as he continued relentlessly hitting the man, his rage preventing him from thinking straight. His fists began bleeding after a countless number of strikes to the creep's face.

"_Enough_, Kenny!" He heard from behind him, as Frank pulled him away from the bastard.

"Get the **fuck** off me!" He yelled, pushing Frank away. He turned around, staring at the man on the floor. His face and bandana were covered in blood, and he was struggling to push himself off the ground.

_"You broke...my fuching jaw, yew athhole..."_ He muttered incoherently.

"I should break your fucking _neck_, you son of a bitch!" Kenny was about to take another step forward, but Frank stopped him again.

The man feebly stood himself straight, grunting heavily. _"Yew...better wath yer fuchin backs_..." He murmured.

Frank turned around suddenly. "Watch out!" He screamed, noticing the walker approaching Clementine from behind. She quickly took a step back, stumbling over her own feet and falling to the ground as the walker threw his arms out to grab her. Kenny ran up to the monster, stabbing it under the chin with Frank's knife. He pushed the rotted corpse off of the blade, letting it lifelessly fall to the ground.

"Fucker came outta nowhere..." He muttered, as he turned to help Clementine up.

"What the FUCK?" He shouted, as he noticed the man running in the opposite direction. Frank immediately turned around and aimed his pistol at the man, who was weakly sprinting down the alley. "Shoot him!" Kenny ordered, but Frank didn't take the shot. "What?! No-"

**"DO IT!"** Kenny shouted, and the deafening sound of the pistol erupted, causing him to jump slightly. The man ahead limply fell to the ground.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they all stared ahead.

"Fuck, that was stupid." Frank commented.

"No, we couldn't let that shitbird get back to his group and tell them we were here. **Not** shooting him would've been stupid." Kenny replied.

"I don't mean that...I mean the shot, it's gonna bring us a lot of attention. We'd better head back." Frank said.

"Yeah...we should get out of here." Clementine agreed. They all stood in silence for a moment before heading back in the direction they came.

* * *

><p>Entering the cabin was a huge relief. It was really beginning to feel like a real home, and after the day they had, it was nice to come back to.<p>

"I guess I'll get supper started" Kenny said, closing the door behind them. It had taken a while to get back from the town, and they were all starving.

"Sounds good to me." Frank commented, heading to the dining room.

"Clem, you mind feeding AJ?" Kenny asked, looking over at her.

"Sure." She replied quietly, walking to the living room.

She must still be upset about how he reacted today, he realized. Fuck, he did it again. He sighed heavily as he headed to the kitchen.

Dinner only took a few minutes to make. It was just a few bowls of beans. It reminded him of the ski lodge...back with Walter, Matthew, Sarita...peaches and beans was their meal every day. He tried to shake away the memory.

"Supper's done" He called from the kitchen. He headed to the dining room, and placed the three bowls on the table. Frank was already sitting with a half-empty bottle of wine.

"You doin' okay, Francis?" Kenny asked, placing the bowl in front of him. He nodded and grumbled something he didn't understand in response.

Clementine came from the living room, and sat down at the table next to Kenny. They both began eagerly eating, as Frank continued staring into space.

"You gonna eat?" Kenny asked. Frank didn't respond, he just took a huge swig of wine straight from the bottle. Clementine stared at Kenny anxiously. He tried to reassure her. "Guess we've all had a long day..." he commented, going back to his food.

The rest of the meal was completely silent. Nobody spoke, and Frank wasn't even looking at either of them. He just took a sip of wine every so often, and continued staring at the wall.

"Thanks, Kenny." Clementine said, standing up from the table.

"Don't mention it, sweetie." He replied, standing up as well. He grabbed her plate and placed it on top of his.

"Alright, well, I think Clem and I're gonna hit the hay." He said, walking toward the kitchen to put away the dishes.

"Actually, Ken..." Frank replied after a brief silence. "I need to have a word with you..." He said, looking at Clementine. She presumed he was going to tell him what he told her about his eye, which made her worried as to how he would react. She wasn't sure if it was the best time to tell him, and she was about to ask him.

"Oh, well..alright. Clem, why don't you and AJ head off to bed, I'll be there in a little bit." Kenny said, walking back into the dining room.

"Yeah, okay, Kenny...goodnight, Frank." She said, exiting the room with a sleeping AJ in her arms.

Kenny pulled up a chair in front of Frank, grunting as he sat down heavily. He sighed. "Long day, huh?" He chuckled, pointing at the bottle of wine in Frank's hand. But he didn't answer.

Kenny flicked his tongue in melancholy. "I guess this is about what happened today, ain't it?"

Again, he didn't answer. Frank was staring at him with a look he'd never seen on his face before.

He leaned in forward slightly. "Frank, are you...feelin' alright?" He asked anxiously.

Frank slowly pulled open his jacket, revealing Kenny's pistol on the inside pocket. He stared at him ominously.

_"Let's talk about you and Clementine."_


End file.
